/&***&* 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 

GIFT    OF 

Mrs.  SARAH  P.  WALSWORTH. 

Received  October,  18Q4. 
^Accessions  No.  Sfr$T7Cf.      Class  No. 


HEAVEN    OUR    HOME. 


WE  HAVE  NO  SAVIOUR  BUT  JESUS, 


NO  HOME  BUT  HEAVEN. 


BY   THE   AUTHOR  OF   "MEET  FOR  HEAVEN.' 


SEVENTH    EDITION.  I^^T^E! 

j£>     op  Tins'* 


BOSTON: 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,   PUBLISHERS, 

143,  Washington  Street. 
1869. 


£Ip0  r 


CAMBRIDGE  : 


1TEREOTYPED     AND     PRINTED     BY 
JOHN    WILSON    AND    SON. 


PREFACE 


THE   AMEEICAN   EDITION. 


The  following  work  by  an  anonymous  author,  al- 
though but  recently  published  in  England,  has  met 
with  very  great  favor. 

In  a  note  to  the  edition  from  which  this  is  re- 
printed, the  author  states,  "  that,  within  the  space  of 
little  more  than  one  week,  the  whole  of  the  first 
edition  of  '  Heaven  our  Home'  was  sold.  Within  a 
few  months  more,  sixty  successive  editions  have  been 
called  for.  He  trusts  that  this  will  be  taken  as  an 
evidence  that  the  views  which  he  has  presented  of  our 
future  home  have  created  some  interest  in  the  minds 
of  the  reading  public." 

Since  the  publication  of  "  Heaven  our  Home,"  have 
appeared  "Meet  for  Heaven,"  and  "  Life  in  Heaven ; " 


4  PREFACE    TO    THE  AMERICAN  EDITION. 

and  the  united  sale  of  the  three  works  already  ex- 
ceeds one  hundred  thousand  copies.  Should  this 
volume  meet  with  similar  approval  from  the 
American  people,  the  other  works  will  follow  in  rapid 
succession. 


PREFACE. 


L  have  often  felt,  that  the  views  which  most  divines 
have  given  of  heaven  are  so  utterly  negative  in  their 
nature,  and  also  so  utterly  unsocial  in  their  aspect, 
that  they  are  more  calculated  to  repel  the  inquiries 
and  longings  and  aspirations  of  the  children  of  God 
after  it,  than  to  allure  their  thoughts  upwards,  and 
fix  their  affections  and  desires  upon  the  things  that 
are  above. 

The  mechanism  of  our  moral  nature  —  God's  own 
workmanship  —  fits  us  for  a  social  heaven.  We  are 
social  beings.  A  heaven  from  which  saint-friendship 
and  social  intercourse,  among  those  who  are  in  glory, 
are  excluded,  is  not  and  cannot  be  a  suitable  abode  for 
us,  who  have  received  from  God's  own  plastic  hand 
those  social  affections  which  we  are  to  possess  for  ever. 
A  social  heaven  is,  accordingly,  the  leading  idea  which 
I  have  endeavored  to  embody  and  illustrate  in  the 


following  treatise. 


[5] 


6  PREFACE. 

Richard  Baxter's  heaven,  depicted  in  his  w  Saint's 
Everlasting  Rest,"  is  an  eternity  of  holy  repose,  free 
from  the  sins  and  troubles  of  earth.  John  Howe's 
heaven,  delineated  in  his  "Blessedness  of  the  Right- 
eous," is  a  calm,  intellectual  eternity  spent  in  the 
beatific  vision  of  God.  St  Paul's  heaven  is  a 
being  through  eternity  with  Christ.  St.  John's 
heaven,  exhibited  in  the  Apocalypse,  is  a  great  and 
gorgeous  temple  crowded  with  the  worshippers  of 
God.  The  heaven  I  have  attempted  to  delineate  is 
a  home,  with  a  great  and  happy  and  loving  family 
in  it. 

The  Bible  is  the  orient  sun  that  has  dispelled  the 
long,  deep  night  of  darkness  that  once  hung  over 
heaven,  and  in  a  great  measure  concealed  it  from  the 
view  of  man.  The  natural  sun,  by  his  rising  every 
morning,  brings  the  earth — our  present  home — into 
our  view,  with  its  variegated  scenery,  and  its  living, 
busy  population.  The  Bible — God's  bright  spiritual 
sun  that  has  risen  upon  us — also  brings  by  its  revela- 
tions into  our  view  an  eternal  heaven,  which  we  who 
are  the  children  of  God  are  to  enter  at  death,  and 
meet  each  other  again  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jor- 
dan's floods,  and  be  happy  for  eternity  there,  in  our 
Father's  home. 


PREFACE.  7 

We  need  a  home.  What  is  our  life  here?  Look 
at  a  river  upon  earth  :  you  see,  in  its  flowing  waters, 
life's  symbol.  That  river  is  but  a  little  streamlet  in 
its  source,  welling  out  from  its  small  and  pebbly  foun- 
tain :  it  gradually  increases  in  depth  and  in  width ;  it 
never  rests  ;  it  flows  on  and  on,  and  still  unceasingly 
onwards,  without  a  moment's  pause.  So  does  our  life, 
till  at  last,  like  the  mighty  river  nearing  the  ocean,  it 
flings  its  waters,  with  a  convulsive  and  gurgling  roll, 
into  the  sea  that  is  before  the  Lord,  there  to  mingle 
with  the  living  floods  of  angels  and  glorified  saints, 
who  move  and  gleam  like  a  great  ocean,  filling  the 
heavens,  and  stretching  far  and  wide,  and  seemingly 
without  a  shore.  Look  at  the  sun  in  the  sky  :  you 
see  in  it  a  symbol  of  life.  That  sun  peeps  up  into  the 
view  of  a  living  world,  at  his  first  rising,  with  but  a 
comparatively  dim  and  feeble  shining ;  he  gradually 
emerges  with  an  increasing  lustre  from  his  chamber 
in  the  east ;  he  goes  forth  over  us  in  the  sky,  like  a 
vessel  of  light  sailing  along  upon  the  bosom  of  the 
great  ocean  of  space ;  he  reaches  his  meridian  splen- 
dor ;  then  he  begins  to  descend  gradually  towards  the 
western  horizon,  until  at  the  close  of  day  he  passes 
from  our  gaze  into  the  expanse  beyond,  going  forth 
to  sail  still  as  a  vessel  of  light  over  another  sea  of  life 


8  PREFACE. 

in  the  opposite  hemisphere,  there  to  rise  and  to  pour 
down  his  beams  upon  other  homes  and  upon  other 
eyes,  but  removed  from  our  view.  It  is  the  same 
with  our  life.  Our  soul  is  our  sun.  The  thoughts 
of  our  minds  are  the  beams  of  light  that  gleam  forth 
in  their  scintillations  and  radiancy  and  illumination 
upon  those  around  us.  There  is  the  first  glimmering 
dawn  of  reason,  then  the  increasing  splendor  of 
brightening  faculties,  then  the  meridian  sunshine 
of  intellectual  and  moral  powers.  The  zenith  of  life  is 
reached :  our  mental  sun  then  begins  to  descend  the 
western  sky  of  age ;  the  evening  of  death  darkens 
around ;  then  our  soul,  if  in  a  state  of  grace,  leaves 
the  sphere  in  which  it  moved  and  shone  for  a  season 
here,  passes  over  the  horizon  that  bounds  eternity  and 
time,  the  Lord  Jesus  transferring  it  to  a  new  firma- 
ment, —  the  hemisphere  of  glory,  —  there  to  rise  in 
new  splendor  before  the  throne  of  God  ;  there  to  shine 
as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars 
of  God  for  ever  and  ever. 

It  is  computed  that  one  of  the  human  family  dies 
every  moment.  Thus,  every  tick  of  the  clock,  an 
immortal  spirit,  as  if  with  the  outspread  wings  of  an 
angel,  is  flying  over  the  boundary-line  of  time,  and  is 
entering  the  great  world  of  spirits  on  the  other  side. 


PREFACE,  9 

There  is  thus  a  river  of  living  souls  continuously 
flowing  from  time  into  eternity.  In  the  bed  of  that 
stream,  we  are  all,  sooner  or  later,  to  take  our  place, 
and  to  pass  away  ;  for  "  as  the  waters  fail  from  the 
sea,  as  the  flood  decay eth  and  drieth  up,  so  man  lieth 
down,  and  riseth  not  till  the  heavens  be  no  more  : 
they  shall  not  awake,  nor  be  raised  out  of  their 
sleep." 

How  comforting,  in  these  circumstances,  is  the 
revelation  that  God  has  made  to  us  in  his  Word, — 
we  have  a  home  for  'eternity,  and  that  home  is 
heaven  ! 

In  the  following  treatise,  I  look  in  upon  that  home 
of  love.  I  survey  the  family  assembled  there.  I 
view  their  intercourse  with  each  other,  and  with  us 
who  are  still  upon  earth ;  and  I  notice  the  interest 
which  they  feel  in  what  is  occurring  here.  I  also 
show,  that,  in  the  gospel  view  of  heaven  which  I 
am  led  to  set  forth,  death,  to  believers  in  Jesus,  is 
going  home. 

It  is  no  cold  and  uninteresting  subject  which  I  am 
thus  led  to  treat.  Was  it  like  music  in  the  ears  of 
the  Israelites,  whilst  journeying  in  the  wilderness,  to 
listen  to  the  accounts,  which  were  orally  and  through 
tradition  handed  down  to  them,  of  the  land  promised 

1* 


10  PREFACE. 

to  their  fathers, — a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey, 
and  towards  which  they  were  advancing  ?  And  will 
it  not  be  equally  comforting  to  you  who  are  the  chil- 
dren of  God,  nay,  will  it  not  be  infinitely  more  so, 
in  the  midst  of  your  present  wearisome  journeyings, 
to  read  a  gospel  description  of  your  Father's  home  in 
the  heavens,  which  many  of  your  friends  from  earth 
have  already  entered,  where  you  are  again  to  meet 
them  at  your  death,  when  time  with  you  is  past,  and 
the  world  is  left  ? 

The  descriptions  which  I  have  given  of  heaven  have 
a  deep  and  personal  interest  about  them ;  for  heaven 
is  to  be  your  home  for  eternity  who  read  these,  if  ye 
are  the  children  of  God.  The  emigrant,  who  is  about 
to  sail  to  a  foreign  land,  feels  that  he  has  a  personal 
interest  in  the  accounts  which  he  reads  about  it  in  the 
newspapers  or  otherwise  :  for  he  is  soon  to  sail  to  it, 
to  land  upon  its  shore ;  and  he  is  to  spend  there  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  The  bride,  who  is  about  to  go 
to  her  new  home,  feels  that  she  has  &  personal  interest 
in  the  descriptions  which  her  friends  give  her  of  its 
site,  of  its  appearance,  and  of  its  furnishings  ;  for  she 
has  upon  her  soul  the  sunshine  of  the  gladdening  hope, 
that  she  is  to  spend  her  future  life  beneath  its  roof. 
You  have  a  similar  interest  in  heaven.     The  sea,  the 


PREFACE.  11 

deep-blue  sea,  is  not  far  off,  over  the  bosom  of  which 
you  will  soon  set  sail,  that  ye  may  land  in  eternity. 
The  vessel  is  in  the  harbor ;  it  is  preparing  to  go 
forth  to  plough  the  bosom  of  the  unseen  deep,  as 
Columbus  launched  forth  upon  the  Atlantic,  whilst 
America,  on  the  other  side,  was  all  unseen;  the 
sails  are  already  spread;  the  pilot  is  at  the  helm. 
You  already  hear  the  dash  upon  the  shore,  and  the 
roll  of  the  great  waters ;  and  soon  you,  who  are 
believers  in  Jesus,  will  be  in  the  position  of  the  emi- 
grant, whilst  standing  upon  the  deck  of  the  vessel 
that  is  already  under  sail, — you  will  look  back,  and 
you  will  look  down  upon  your  weeping,  bereaved 
friends,  whom  you  are  leaving  in  your  death-cham- 
ber ;  upon  your  home,  with  its  dark  cloud  of  bereave- 
ment lowering  around  it ;  and  upon  the  earth  itself, 
receding  from  your  view,  and  gradually  becoming 
smaller  in  the  distance,  till,  like  the  vessel  upon  the 
far-off  horizon,  it  flits  away  entirely  from  your  gaze. 
You  will  then  rise  upwards  to  heaven,  your  home; 
you  will  enter,  and  join  for  eternity,  God's  family  now 
assembled  there.  In  the  anticipation  of  that  abundant 
entrance  into  heaven,  you  can  even  now  look  up  to 
Jesus  upon  the  throne,  and  you  hear  him  thus 
addressing  you :    "  In  my  Father's  house  are  many 


12 


PREFACE, 


mansions  :  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you. 
I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And,  if  I  go  and 
prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  re- 
ceive you  unto  myself;  that,  where  I  am,  there  ye 
may  be  also." 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 

f^eafcen  our  ^ome* 

CHAPTER  I. 

Pagb 

Heaven  a  Locality 19 

n. 

Types  op  Heaven.  —  Eden  and  Canaan 38 

HI. 
Types  of  Heaven. — A  Temple 44 

IV. 
Types  of  Heaven. — A  City 62 

V. 
Types  of  Heaven.  —  A  Home 77 

VI. 

The  Family  in  Heaven 90 

[13] 


]  4  CONTENTS. 


vn. 

Pagk 

Communion  of  Saints  in  Heaven 104 


VH1. 
Communion  of  Saints  in  Heaven  (continued)   .    .    .    116 

IX. 

Communion  of  Saints  in  Heaven  (continued)  .    .    .    132 

X. 

Communion   of    Saints    in   Heaven,  a  Source    of 

Instruction  and  of  Joy 142 


PART  n. 

2te0|jttttt0tt  of  Juntos  fix  3^eafatu 

CHAPTER  I. 
Recognition  of  Friends  in  Heaven 149 

II. 
Recognition  of  Friends  in  Heaven  (continued)  .     .     160 

m. 

Recognition  of  Friends  in  Heaven  (continued)   .    .    169 


CONTENTS.  15 


IV. 

Page 

Recognition  of  Friends  in  Heaven  (continued)   .    .     175 

V. 

Recognition  of  1'riends  in  Heaven  (continued)   .    .     188 

VI. 

Recognition  if  Friends  in  Heaven  {continued)    .     .     191 

VH. 
Objections  answered 201 


PART  in. 

<£{je  Interest  tfjose  m  Pfeafan  feel  in  GEartfj. 

CHAPTER  I. 
The  Interest  those  in  Heaven  feel  in  Earth  .    .    219 

n. 

Philosophical  Evidences  for  this  Interest  .    .  22fi 

in. 

Scriptural  Evidence  of  this  Interest 233 

IV. 

Scriptural  Evidence  of  this  Interest  (continued)   .    243 


16  CONTENTS. 

V. 

Page 
Events  showing  Heaven's  Interest  in  us .    .    .    .    253 

VI. 
Events    showing    Heaven's    Interest    in   us   {con- 
tinued)   268 

VII. 
Events    showing   Heaven's    Interest    in   us   (con- 
tinued  282 

vm 

Events    showing    Heaven's    Interest  in  us   (con- 
tinued)  . 295 


PART  I. 


\mbm  oxxx  Jfome. 


44  IN    MY    FATHER'S    HOUSE    ARE    MANY    MANSIONS." 


CHAPTER  I. 


HEAVEN   A  LOCALITY. 


HE  subject  of  the  following  treatise  is  one 
that  ought  to  arrest  the  attention  and  en- 
gage the  interest  of  every  member  of  the 
human  family,  and  especially  of  believers  in  Jesus. 
Heaven  is  the  locality  around  which  are  clustering 
the  highest  and  the  holiest  hopes  and  associations 
of  the  people  of  God.  It  is  to  be  their  home  for  ever. 
Thus  all  who  are  Christians  must  surely  feel  a  holy 
desire  to  hear  about  the  dwelling-place  in  which  they 
are  to  spend  their  immortal  existence  when  life  with 
them  here  is  finished,  and  when,  at  death,  they  have 
bidden  adieu  for  ever  to  the  home  in  which  they  now 
dwell. 

The  exile's  heart  exults  with  joy  as  he  peruses  a 
description  of  the  land  of  his  nativity,  either  in  the 
newspaper  or  in  the  more  elaborate  treatise  ;  for  he 
knows  the  day  is  coming  when  he  will  set  sail  for  it : 

[19] 


20  HEAVEN  A  LOCALITY. 

such  a  description  leads  him  often  to  look  across  the 
deep-blue  sea,  and  longingly  and  pensively  to  gaze 
in  the  direction  where  his  future  home  is  lying.  The 
pilgrim,  in  the  midst  of  his  desert-journey,  opens 
and  reads,  with  the  glowing  emotions  of  a  lively 
interest,  the  letter  which  has  reached  him  from  his 
home,  and  which  gives  him  an  account  of  the  dear 
ones  who  are  there,  —  his  affectionate  partner  and 
beloved  children,  —  whom  he  has  the  prospect  of 
joining  when  his  journey  is  finished ;  and  to  whom, 
sitting  in  the  comfortable  parlor,  he  will  joyfully 
recount  the  incidents  that  happened  to  him  by  the 
way.  The  mariner  who  is  afloat  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  ocean,  and  on  his  voyage  homeward,  not  only 
consults  the  compass  habitually  and  carefully,  which 
points  out  the  course  in  which  he  is  to  sail  that  he 
may  reach  the  desired  and  sheltered  haven,  where 
he  will  cast  anchor,  and  be  safe  and  secure,  for  the 
billows  will  then  be  rolling  far  away  in  the  distance 
behind  him :  he  also  delights  to  read  the  narrative 
which  gives  him  an  account  of  the  country  to  which 
he  is  sailing. 

In  like  manner,  you,  who  are  the  children  of  God, 
must  feel  your  hearts'  best  affections  and  purest 
desires  enlisted  when  you  think  of  your  eternal 
home ;  and  you  must  surely  feel  some  interest  in  an 
attempt  to  give  you  a  description  of  it,  what  it  is, 
and  what  you  are  to  experience  when  you  enter  it. 
This  is  the  task  which  I  now  endeavor  to  execute. 


HEAVEN    A   LOCALITY.  21 

What,  then,  is  heaven  ?  This  is  no  trifling  or  un- 
important question.  If  I  am  immortal,  and  if 
heaven  is  to  be  my  home  for  ever,  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  I  should  form  a  right  and  scriptural 
view  of  it.  Much  of  my  present  happiness  will 
depend  upon  the  particular  conception  of  it  which  I 
now  imbibe  and  cherish;  and  this,  again,  will  exert 
an  influence  upon  my  conduct,  leading  me  to  prepare 
and  make  ready,  that  I  may  enter  it  at  death. 
Before,  however,  I  proceed  to  consider  what  heaven 
is,  I  will,  in  this  chapter,  make  a  few  reflections 
upon  the  question,    Where  is  heaven  ? 

I  believe  that  the  views  of  many  Christians  about 
the  "  locality  "  of  heaven  are  quite  as  indefinite  and 
vague  as  are  the  musings  of  a  little  child  two  or 
three  years  old  respecting  the  position  of  India,  or 
of  Australia,  or  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  With 
many  Christians,  all  is  dark  and  visionary  and 
dreamy  respecting  the  fact  that  heaven  is  verily  a 
locality,  and  not  merely  a  state. 

I  believe  that  the  young,  generally,  have  a  far  more 
vivi d  though  an  erroneous  view  of  the  exact  place 
where  the  eternal  home  of  the  people  of  God  rears 
its  walls  than  that  possessed  by  those  more  mature 
in  years.  In  youth,  the  heart's  affections  are  warm, 
curiosity  is  strong,  the  imagination  is  lively ;  and 
fancy  paints  heaven  as  situated  just  above  the  blue  arch 
of  the  visible  sky.  Ask  a  child,  "Where  is  heaven?" 
Is  there  any  dimness  or  doubt  existing  in  the  mind 


22  HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY. 

whilst  giving  an  answer  to  your  question  ?  No  : 
the  finger  is  instantly  lifted  up  ;  and,  looking  and 
pointing  to  the  overarching  sky,  the  answer  is,  "Up 
there." 

Advancing  years,  however,  and  increasing  know- 
ledge, effect  a  complete  revolution  in  our  view  of  this 
locality.  A  knowledge  of  astronomy  does  this  by 
ennobling  and  elevating  the  mind.  Astronomy  not 
only  exhibits  to  us  the  greatness  and  the  splendor 
of  the  material  universe,  but  the  greatness  also  and 
sovereignty  of  Him  who  made  it ;  to  whom  it  is  a 
great  palace,  with  its  lighted  chandeliers  burning  in 
every  apartment ;  and  through  which  he  walks  in  his 
glory  and  in  his  majesty. 

A  similar  change  of  view  about  the  exact  position 
of  a  departed  friend  sometimes  comes  over  our  ima- 
ginings. Have  you  not  sometimes  dreamt,  that  you 
saw  in  the  visions  of  the  night  some  such  valued  one 
meeting  you  in  your  home,  and  smiling  upon  you 
with  the  love  and  friendship  which  he  showed  to  you 
whilst  he  yet  lived  with  you  ?  You  awoke  in  the 
morning,  and  saw,  amid  the  light  of  awakened  rea- 
son, that  you  mistook  in  that  dream  the  dwelling- 
place  of  him  who  stood  before  you.  Would  it  be 
right  reasoning,  in  these  circumstances,  for  you  thus 
to  conclude  :  "  Because  I  had  a  wrong  view  in  the 
visions  of  the  night  respecting  the  place  of  his  pre- 
sent abode,  therefore  my  friend  has  no  habitation 
at  all ;  or,  in  other  words,  has  no  existence  "?    It  is 


HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY. 

the  same  with  the  hereabouts  of  heaven, 
dream  of  childhood  about  its  localizatioi 
ished  amid  the  descending  light  of  increase( 
ledge,  would  it  be  right  in  us  hastily  to  jump  to  the 
conclusion,  "Oh,  heaven  is  nowhere!  It  is  not  where 
we  once  thought  it  was,  and  therefore  it  has  no  exist- 
ence at  all :    it  is  in  no  region  at  present "  ? 

Some  divines  have  attempted  to  get  over  the  diffi- 
culty of  fixing  the  present  locality  of  heaven  by 
representing  it  as  a  habitation  that  is  not  yet  formed. 
These  theologians  place  heaven  in  the  same  category 
as  the  millennium,  the  latter-day  glory,  the  judgment- 
day,  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  ;  and,  in  support  of 
their  view,  they  are  in  the  habit  of  quoting  the  fol- 
lowing words  of  the  Apostle  Peter:  "Nevertheless, 
we,  according  to  His  promise,  look  for  new  heavens 
and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." 
These  words,  misinterpreted,  have  prevented  Chris- 
tians from  looking  up  and  abroad  upon  God's  great 
universe  in  search  of  a  local  and  presently -existing 
home.  Assuredly  there  is  a  heaven,  existing  just 
now,  into  which  Jesus,  our  new-covenant  Head,  has 
ascended,  —  the  heavens  have  received  him  until  the 
final  restitution  of  all  things ;  where  God  has  estab- 
lished his  throne,  —  a  throne  of  glory  that  is  high  and 
lifted  up ;  in  which  angels  who  have  kept  their  first 
estate  have  their  usual  habitation, — "for  their 
angels,"  says  Jesus,  "  do  always  behold  the  face  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven ; "  and  in  which  are 


24  HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY. 

dwelling  "  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect ; "  or 
otherwise  the  revelations  of  the  Bible  are  so  many 
,  myths.  There  is  a  heaven, Existing  just  now :  more- 
over, it  is  not  merely  a  local  but  a  material  habita- 
tion, into  which  Enoch  and  Elijah  have  ascended, 
carrying  their  bodies  with  them ;  and  into  which 
the  resurrection-bodies  of  all  the  children  of  God 
are  to  rise  after  the  judgment  is  over,  and  where 
they  are  to  dwell  for  ever ;  or  otherwise  the  whole 
Bible  is  a  novel,  and  its  beatific  revelations  are 
merely  comfortable  dreams. 

There  is  a  heaven,  into  which  patriarchs  have 
entered  who  lived  long  ages  near  the  beginning  of 
the  world's  history ;  for  they  are  still  alive.  At 
Horeb,  God's  language  to  Moses  is,  "I  am"  not  I 
was,  "the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob." 
When  these  words  were  spoken,  the  patriarchs  had 
been  dead  for  several  hundred  years.  God  asserts 
they  were  still  alive  :  he  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead, 
but  of  the  living ;  for  all  live  to  him.  There  is  a 
heaven,  into  which  prophets  have  ascended,  who  once 
acted  as  the  mouth  of  God  upon  earth,  and  made 
audible  in  the  hearing  of  the  children  of  men  those 
high  and  important  revelations  which  the  eternal 
Jehovah  for  ages  sent  down  from  his  throne,  and 
from  the  habitation  of  his  glory,  to  his  children. 
There  is  a  heaven,  into  which  the  disciples  of  our 
Lord  have  entered  who  once  followed  Jesus  in  his 
mission  of  love  in  this  world,   and  who  still  follow 


HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY.  25 

the  Lamb  whithersoever  he  goeth.  There  is  a 
heaven,  into  which  martyrs  have  ascended  in  their 
chariots  of  flame,  who -sealed  their  testimony  to 
Jesus  with  their  blood.  There  is  a  heaven,  into 
which  believers,  from  every  clime  of  earth  and  from 
every  age  of  this  world's  history,  have  ascended ; 
who  have  been  coming  from  the  east  and  from  the 
west,  from  the  north  and  from  the  south,  and  have 
been  sitting  down  with  Abraham,  with  Isaac,  and 
with  Jacob.  From  the  throne  of  his  love,  in  these 
high  places,  God  has  been  saying  to  the  north, 
"Give  up;"  and  to  the  south,  "Keep  not  back: 
bring  my  sons  from  far,  and  my  daughters  from  the 
ends  of  the  earth."  The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  have 
been  for  thousands  of  years  returning  and  coming 
to  the  heavenly  Zion  with  songs  of  praise.  They  are 
now  obtaining,  in  God's  presence  above,  the  joy 
and  gladness  that  were  promised,  and  sorrow  and 
mourning  have  for  ever  fled  away  from  them ;  and 
these  collected  and  assembled  multitudes  now  stand 
together  in  their  exaltation,  and  sing  before  their 
God  and  Saviour  the  praises  of  the  celestial  temple. 
There  is  a  heaven,  presently  existing,  into  which  ye 
are  to  ascend  at  your  death  who  are  the  children  of 
God  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Where,  then,  is  heaven  ?  The  Bible  constantly 
speaks  of  it  as  up,  as  above.  But  this  language, 
it  is  quite  evident,  is  only  relative  ;  in  other  words,  it 
merely  implies  that  heaven  is  away  from  the  earth, 

2 


26  HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY. 

and  is  localized  in  some  distant  region  of  space. 
The  earth,  every  student  of  geography  knows,  is,  in 
form,  a  sphere,  or  globe,  and  has  two  motions.  It 
has  its  annual  motion  along  its  orbit  round  the  sun  : 
it  has  also  its  diurnal  motion ;  or,  in  other  words,  it 
turns  completely  round  upon  an  imaginary  axis 
every  twenty-four  hours.  Take  the  case  of  an  indi- 
vidual who  speaks  about  heaven,  and  who,  in  faith, 
looks  up  to  it  at  twelve  o'clock  in  the  day.  Up, 
with  him,  simply  means  the  direction  in  which  he  is 
looking  into  the  great  pavilion  of  space,  in  a  line 
drawn  from  the  centre  of  the  earth,  and  the  part  of 
its  surface  upon  which  he  at  the  moment  stands. 
Let  twelve  hours  pass  over  that  individual's  head, 
whilst  meanwhile  the  earth  is  revolving  in  its  diurnal 
motion,  and  has  now  brought  him  into  the  exactly 
opposite  direction,  in  reference  to  that  great  pavilion, 
from  what  he  was  twelve  hours  before.  Let  him 
now  speak  of  heaven,  and  let  him  look  up  to  it,  in 
imagination  and  in  faith  :  his  feet  are  now,  in  a  line 
leading  from  the  centre  of  the  earth,  towards  the 
heaven  to  which  he  looked  twelve  hours  before  ;  his 
head  and  uplifted  eyes  are  in  the  entirely  opposite 
direction.  Is  that  man  right  in  his  view  of  the 
direction  in  which  heaven  lies  from  him  at  twelve 
o'clock  in  the  night?  Either  there  must  be  two 
heavens,  or  all  space  is  heaven;  or  he  is  mistaken 
in  his  view  of  the  direction  in  which  heaven  lies  from 
the  earth  at  one  or  other  of  these  seasons.     Now, 


HEAVEN  A  LOCALITY.  27 

because  we  involuntarily  and  inadvertently  commit 
this  mistake  in  our  view  of  the  situation  of  heaven, — 
imagining  it  localized  in  one  part  of  space  at  twelve 
o'clock  in  the  day,  and  in  the  entirely  opposite  region 
in  space  at  twelve  o'clock  in  the  night,  —  is  heaven 
nowhere  ?  The  man  would  neither  be  a  good  mathe- 
matician nor  a  good  logician  who  would  draw  such 
a  conclusion  from  the  premises. 

I  believe  the  Scriptures  do  not  fix  the  -place :  they 
have  not  assigned,  they  do  not  assign,  the  exact  locality 
which  heaven  occupies  in  the  great  pavilion  of  space, 
no  more  than  they  have  fixed  definitively  the  exact 
locality  upon  earth  where  Eden  was  situated.  There 
has  been  no  small  controversy  among  writers  on 
scriptural  subjects  respecting  the  site  of  Eden :  one 
writer  has  actually  placed  it  in  the  moon.  Suppose 
I  had,  in  my  judgment,  fixed  upon  a  particular 
locality  as  that  of  Eden,  and  had  afterwards  — 
either  by  reasoning,  or  by  observation,  or  by  meet- 
ing some  one  inspired,  and  getting  him  to  point  out 
to  me  its  exact  place  and  its  boundaries  —  been  led 
to  see  that  I  was  wrong :  does  it  follow  that  Eden 
never  had  an  existence  because  I  was  wrong  in  my 
localization  of  it? 

The  Scriptures,  I  repeat,  do  not  attempt  to  define 
to  us  the  exact  region  in  the  great  immensity  of  space 
where  heaven  is  situated.  I  am  not  sure,  indeed, 
that  they  could  have  done  this  so  as  to  have  been 
understood.      Were  the   earth  stationary,  and  the 


28  HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY. 

heavens  at  rest  too,  I  believe  this  could  have  been 
done ;  but,  looking  at  the  earth's  revolution  round 
the  sun,  and  looking  at  the  fact,  that,  for  any  thing 
I  can  tell,  the  sun  may  have  a  similar  revolution 
through  space  round  the  outside  of  the  wall  of  heaven, 
—  which  is  said  to  be  great  and  high,  and  from  the 
radiancy  of  which  the  sun  may  derive  his  light,  and 
thus  be  a  merely  reflecting  body  like  the  moon,  — 
heaven  may  thus  be  in  one  direction  from  me  at  one 
time,  and  in  the  directly  opposite  at  another.  Even 
physically,  we  speak  of  the  sun  being  up  from  us ; 
and  nevertheless  we  are  all  aware,  that,  every  twelve 
hours,  he  is  down.  An  illustration  will  show  the 
impossibility  of  assigning  the  exact  celestial' region. 
If  heaven  be  stationary,  and  the  sun  with  his  attend- 
ant planets,  and  the  stars  with  their  several  family 
orbs,  roll  in  their  courses  round  about  it,  survey- 
ing it  like  children  playing  round  a  fire,  its  exact 
position  cannot  be  assigned.  Look  to  that  vessel 
which  has  cast  anchor  in  the  bay,  and  is  at  rest  at 
her  moorings  :  it  is  to  be  your  home  whilst  you  are 
crossing  the  Atlantic ;  but  it  has  not  yet  set  sail. 
Suppose  you  go  into  a  boat  at  a  distance  of  two  hun- 
dred yards,  and  row  quite  round  the  vessel.  Whilst 
you  are  making  that  circuit,  in  what  direction  will 
the  vessel  bti  from  you  ?  It  is  quite  manifest  that  it 
will  be  at  different  sections  of  your  circle  in  entirely 
opposite  directions  ;  and  were  you  to  say  that  the 
position  of  the  vessel,  as  seen  from  your  boat,  and 


HEAVEN  A  LOCALITY. 


29 


the  direction  from  which  it  lies  from  you,  is  due 
west,  this,  it  is  evident,  would  be  true  only  whilst 
you  were  at  one  part  of  your  course. 

I  cannot  tell  the  exact  position  of  heaven.  I  can- 
not stand  in  the  boat  —  the  earth  —  in  which  I  am 
now  sailing,  and  point  my  finger  in  the  exact  direc- 
tion along  the  ocean  of  space  in  which  heaven  is,  — 
the  vessel  of  glory  in  which  I  am,  as  a  child  of  God, 
yet  to  have  my  home  through  eternity.  But  what 
if  heaven,  the  vessel  of  immortality,  has  weighed 
anchor,  and  is  also  under  sail  as  well  as  the  earth? 
It  is  manifest,  that  in  this  case  the  difficulty  of  fixing 
the  situation  is  greatly  increased.  The  Scriptures 
have  not  fixed  the  locality  ;  and,  as  far  as  I  can  see, 
they  could  not  do  so.  But  heaven  has  its  position 
in  the  great  ocean  of  space,  just  as  much  as  the  ves- 
sel has  that  is  lying  at  rest  upon  the  waters,  kept 
there  by  the  anchor. 

It  may  be,  that  beyond  all  that  is  visible,  and 
beyond  all  that  is  existing  in  God's  lower  creation, 
there  lies  and  there  expands  and  there  gleams  be- 
neath the  light  of  God's  own  manifested  presence 
the  heaven  of  heavens,  which  forms  the  etherealized , 
luminous,  material  habitation  in  which  the  children  of 
God  are,  throughout  eternity,  to  dwell.  Heaven  may  j 
be  to  the  whole  material  orbs  of  God's  great  universe  | 
what  the  sun  is  to  the  solar  system,  —  a  region  of 
brightness  so  dazzling,  that  all  the  light  that  is  in 
the  universe  may  be  flowing  out  from  it ;    and  thus 


30  HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY. 

it  may  be,  that  all  that  is  luminous  in  the  lower  crea- 
tion is  exactly  to  heaven  what  the  planets  are  to  the 
sun,  —  dark,  floating  masses,  till  lighted  by  its 
beams. 

Do  not  say,  that  this  view  of  the  situation  of 
heaven  removes  it  to  an  almost  indefinite  distance 
from  the  earth.  Time  has,  as  it  were,  no  duration  in 
the  reckoning  of  God.  n  One  day  is  with  the  Lord 
as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one 
day."  Space,  upon  the  same  principle,  has,  as  it 
were,  no  extension  in  the  measurement  of  God. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  distance,  considered  in  its 
relation  to  him.  Space  is  thus  annihilated  in  God. 
Quickness  of  transition,  to  some  extent,  also  annihi- 
lates space.  The  speed  of  angels  may  be  so  great  in 
their  transitions  from  heaven  to  earth,  and  from 
earth  back  again  to  heaven,  that,  far  as  the  regions 
may  be  asunder,  they  may  make  the  passage  quick 
as  the  gleam  of  the  lightning,  and  rapid  as  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye.  The  invention  of  the  telegraph 
has  almost  annihilated  space  along  the  surface  of  the 
earth.  For  any  thing  I  can  tell,  God  may  have 
made  known,  to  those  who  are  above,  some  nobler 
space-annihilating  invention,  through  which,  though 
situated  on  the  other  side  from  us  of  the  great 
pavilion  of  the  universe,  they  may  nevertheless  feel 
that  they  are  at  earth's  very  door.  Our  thoughts 
almost  annihilate  space  as  they  roam  to  and  fro 
through  the  great  creation,  and  up  and  down  through 


HEAVEN  A  LOCALITY.  31 

the  heavens,  and  round  about  the  throne  of  God. 
Angels,  glorified  spirits,  may  move  through  space 
much  quicker  than  our  thoughts  do,  and  therefore 
quicker  than  the  beams  of  light  move  away  from  the 
sun  into  the  regions  around,  and  hence  so  much 
more  quick  than  the  ball  when  just  propelled  from 
the  cannon's  mouth. 

The  Temple  of  Jerusalem  was  a  visible  panorama 
of  heaven  in  its  relation  to  earth.  There  was  the 
Holy  of  Holies  typifying  heaven,  whilst  the  outer 
courts  —  where  the  sacrifices  were  offered,  and  in- 
cense smoked  upon  the  altar,  and  the  worshippers 
assembled  —  represented  the  earth.  A  veil  was 
stretched,  by  God's  appointment,  so  as  to  conceal 
the  Holy  of  Holies  entirely  from  the  view  of  those 
who  were  worshipping  without.  So  is  it  with 
heaven.  God  has  stretched  a  veil  of  invisibility 
betwixt  us  and  his  throne,  which  entirely  conceals  it 
from  our  view.  Heaven  is,  indeed,  as  much  out  of 
my  sight,  and  beyond  the  reach  of  my  eye,  as  if  it 
had  no  existence.  The  prophet's  description  of  God 
is,  "Thou  art  verily  a  God  that  hidest  thyself,  O 
God  of  Israel,  the  Saviour."  God  not  only  hides 
himself:  he  hides  also  from  us  the  habitation  of  his 
holiness.  For  wise  purposes,  he  holdeth  back  the 
face  of  his  throne,  and  spreadeth  his  cloud  above 
upon  it.  For  wise  purposes,  God  conceals  from  us 
the  pavilion  of  light  with  which  he  is  inhaloed,  as 
he  dwells  in  the  midst  thereof;  because,  whilst  we 


32  HEAVEN  A  LOCALITY. 

remain  upon  earth,  we  are  to  walk  by  faith,  and  not 
by  sight ;  and  because  a  constant  and  vivid  view  of 
the  hosts  of  heaven,  and  of  the  great  realities 
of  eternity,  would  so  overpower  and  paralyze  us  as 
to  unfit  us  for  the  duties  of  earth  and  of  time.  But 
though  God  does  not  show  us  heaven,  does  not 
open  to  us  its  regions  of  bliss,  so  that  they  may 
become  visible  to  our  view  whilst  we  remain  upon 
earth,  he  speaks  to  us,  in  his  Word,  about  heaven, 
and  tells  us,  not  where  it  is,  but  what  it  is.  A  little 
child  is  in  this  country,  whose  parents  are  living  at 
Calcutta  :  that  child  knows  not  where  its  parents' 
home  is,  nor  the  way  to  it ;  but  the  captain  knows 
who  takes  that  child  on  board ;  and  angels  know 
where  heaven  is,  who  will  take  you,  believers,  home. 
Those  who  are  in  heaven  possess  a  knowledge  of 
it,  independently  of  the  descriptions  of  the  Bible. 
They  see  its  heights  of  majesty  towering  around 
them ;  its  valleys  of  joy  stretching  away  in  all  the 
luxuriance  and  fragrance  of  an  eternal  summer  ;  its 
rivers  of  pleasures  rolling  through  its  brightening 
scenery,  and  the  living  streams  flowing  at  their  feet, 
which  make  glad  the  city  of  God.  They  behold  its 
azure  sky  arching  over  them  in  its  meridian  splendor, 
and  vouchsafing  to  them  the  cloudless  expanse  of  an 
eternal  day,  —  a  splendor  of  light  that  never  grows 
dim.  There  are  no  stars  in  the  bright  firmament 
that  is  above  them,  to  dispel,  in  part,  the  darkness  of 
night ;  for  there  is  no  night  there.     Finally,  they  see 


HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY.  33 

the  building  of  God,  —  the  house  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens, — the  house  with  many 
mansions,  in  winch  God's  great  and  happy  family 
meet  and  live  and  walk  and  talk  and  act  and  love. 

Angels  have  been  surveying  heaven,  and  have 
been  contemplating  its  scenery,  for  at  least  near  six 
thousand  years ;  and  by  their  surveys,  and  flights 
through  the  midst  of  it,  they  must  have  now  a  know- 
ledge of  what  is  to  us  so  mysterious.  Abel,  the 
first  of  the  human  family  who  entered  there,  has 
been  enjoying  the  vision  for  nearly  six  thousand 
years ;  and,  arrayed  in  his  robes  of  white,  has  been 
walking  through  it,  looking  upon  its  changeless 
monuments,  and  exploring  wonders  that  have  upon 
them  the  impress  of  eternity.  All  this  is  from 
observation,  just  as  a  person  travelling  through  his 
native  land  acquires,  by  viewing  it,  a  knowledge  far 
more  accurate  than  what  he  received  by  studying  its 
map  or  its  history.  Noah  now  views  heaven  from  a 
higher  mount  than  that  of  Ararat ;  and  how  living  is 
the  scenery  !  —  it  is  not  desolated,  as  the  earth  was, 
by  a  recently  overs  weeping  deluge.  Moses  now 
beholds  heaven  as  he  looked  from  Mount  Pisgah 
upon  the  Promised  Land ;  but  he  is  not  surveying 
it  as  a  country  which  he  is  never  to  enter :  he  is 
already  in  it. 

It  is  different  with  us  who  are  yet  but  pilgrims 
and  sojourners  upon  earth.  We  have  in  the  Bible 
the  only  inspired  descriptions  of  heaven  which  ever 


34  HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY. 

will  be  put  into  our  hands  ;  but  these  descriptions 
are  not  heaven,  no  more  than  the  pattern  of  the 
temple  which  Moses  saw  on  the  mount  was  the  mas- 
sive and  gorgeous  fabric  reared  by  Solomon,  or  than 
a  map  is  the  country  it  delineates,  or  a  book  of 
geography  is  the  earth,  or  the  plan  of  a  house  is  the 
material  building,  or  your  portrait  is  yourself. 

With  many,  heaven  is  merely  a  sound.  They 
see  the  word  "  heaven "  in  their  Bible ;  they  read 
about  it  there :  but  the  great  heaven  into  which 
Jesus  has  ascended,  where  God  has  his  throne, 
where  angels  and  glorified  saints  dwell  together  in 
love,  is  not  at  all,  or  is  but  dimly,  realized  by  them 
as  a  locality,  a  world,  existing  entirely  apart,  and 
independently  of  the  Bible's  descriptions.  It  is  right 
that  such  individuals  should  remember  that  heaven 
existed  before  the  Bible  was  written,  and  would  con- 
tinue to  exist  even  were  there  no  Bible  to  tell  us 
what  a  glorious,  holy,  and  happy  place  it  is.  The 
star  that  is  in  the  far-distant  recess  of  space,  hidden 
from  the  view  of  the  bodily  eye,  exists  independently 
of  the  telescope  that  has  brought  it  into  view.  What 
does  the  telescope  do  to  that  star  ?  The  star  is  not 
in  the  telescope,  no  more  than  your  friend,  whom 
you  see  before  you,  is  in  your  eye.  It  has  an  exist- 
ence independently  of  the  instrument  through  which 
you  look,  and  by  the  aid  of  which  you  behold  it 
shining,  quiet  and  beautiful,  in  its  far-distant  sphere. 
The   telescope  does  not  create  the  star :    it  merely 


HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY. 


35 


brings  it  into  your  view,  and  shows  you  how —  in 
regions  that  have  never  yet  been  penetrated  by  the 
gaze  and  exploring  eye  of  man,  with  all  his  instru- 
ments —  the  heavens  are  declaring  the  glory  of  God, 
£nd  the  firmament  is  showing  forth  his  handiwork. 

In  like  manner,  the  Bible  does  not  create  heaven  ; 
but  it  does  to  heaven  what  the  telescope  does  to  the 
most  distant  star  that  is  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  — 
it  brings  it  into  view ;  it  throws  the  light  of  its  high 
revelations  over  it ;  it  lifts  the  veil  that  conceals  the 
great  regions  of  eternal  life  from  our  view ;  and  it 
shows  us,  in  its  panoramic  delineations,  a  world 
existing,  peopled  by  prodigious  assemblages,  and 
lighted  up  with  its  own  peculiar  joy. 

Heaven  is  not  a  state  or  a  character  merely.  It  is 
quite  true,  that  it  is  said  by  our  blessed  Saviour  him- 
self, "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  within  you  :  "  but, 
in  these  words,  Jesus  is  not  speaking  of  the  kingdom 
of  glory  ;  he  is  speaking  of  the  kingdom  of  grace,  — 
of  the  reign  of  grace  in  the  heart  of  every  believer. 
It  is  quite  true,  that  character  —  a  gracious  state, 
the  soul  transformed  into  Christ's  image  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  —  is  necessary  as  a  preparation  for  heaven. 
What  would  heaven  be  to  you,  speaking  generally, 
who  have  not  the  character  that  Jits  you  for  it,  were 
you  carried  up  in  your  present  state  of  unprepared- 
ness,  and  set  down  in  the  midst  of  its  assemblies, 
and  deep  roll  of  its  eternal  praises?  It  would  be 
what  the  warm,  dry  beach,  on  a  beautiful  summer 


36 


HEAVEN  A  LOCALITY. 


day,  is  to  the  fish  that  has  been  dragged  up  there 
alive  out  of  the  sea,  its  natural  element,  and  to 
which  the  balmy  air  is  quite  intolerable ;  it  would 
be  what  a  beautiful  landscape  is  to  a  man  who  is 
entirely  blind ;  it  would  be  what  a  delightful  concert 
of  music  is  to  a  man  who  is  deaf;  it  would  be  what 
a  rich  and  sumptuous  feast  is  to  a  man  who  is  sick, 
and  who  nauseates  the  taste  of  the  most  savory  and 
most  delicate  food ;  it  would  be  what  the  society  of 
the  learned  and  the  wise,  the  noble  and  refined,  is 
to  a  man  who  is  profoundly  ignorant,  whose  tastes 
are  depraved,  whose  habits  are  such  that  he  feels  no 
pleasure  except  when  in  a  state  of  intoxication. 
Character  is  necessary  as  a  preparation  for  heaven ; 
but  what  I  wish  you  distinctly  to  understand  is,  that 
character  is  not  heaven,  no  more  than  your  character 
is  your  home,  —  than  the  qualification  fitting  you  to 
be  one  of  an  assembly  is  that  assembly. 

Paul  was  highly  favored  in  getting  a  knowledge 
of  heaven  in  the  visions  of  the  Almighty.  He 
was  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven.  He  looked 
upon  its  inhabitants,  and  listened  to  the  roll  of  its 
praises.  God,  however,  conceals  heaven  from  our 
view ;  but,  as  I  have  said,  he  speaks  to  us  about  it 
in  his  Holy  Word.  He  tells  us  what  it  is  Like,  and 
what  things  upon  earth  bear  a  resemblance  to  it. 
This  is  the  origin  of  the  figures  which  we  find  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  Scriptures  employing  to  represent 
heaven  to  us.     These  figures  are  so  many  lakes,  in 


HEAVEN  A   LOCALITY.  37 

whose  clear  bosoms  we  see  the  world  that  is  above 
us  reflected.  They  are  so  many  mirrors,  reflecting 
in  their  polished  surfaces  the  image  of  the  heaven  of 
heavens.  These  figures  are  particularly  worthy 
of  notice ;  for  they  show  that  heaven  is  both  a 
locality  and  also  a  place  of  friendship. 


CHAPTER  n. 

TYPES    OF   HEAVEN. EDEN  AND   CANAAN. 

DEN  was  a  type  of  heaven ;  and  eve/y 
reader  of  the  Bible  knows  that  it  was  not 
only  the  home,  for  a  season,  of  our  first 
parents,  but  also  a  place  of  social  intercourse. 
"To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise."  "To 
him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of 
life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God." 
"What  Eden  was  in  its  primeval  beauty  to  this  world, 
heaven  is  to  the  universe  of  God.  Heaven  is  the 
Eden  of  creation,  where  unfading  flowers  bloom,  and 
the  glow  of  an  eternal  summer  unchangingly  smiles  ; 
where  trees,  whose  leaves  never  wither,  impart  a 
cooling  shade  to  those  who  walk  through  its  bowers  ; 
where  streams  of  joy  flow  everywhere  through  the 
valleys,  and  sparkle  and  rejoice  beneath  the  beams 
of  an  unsetting  sun. 

Does  God  walk  in  Eden  with  our  first  parents, 
and   hold   sweet   intercourse  with    them?      God  is 

[38] 


EDEN  AND    CANAAN.  39 

doing  this  to  all  who  are  in  heaven.  He  walks  with 
the  hosts  above  through  the  eternal  Eden.  He  com- 
munes lovingly  with  all  its  rejoicing  inhabitants  from 
off  the  mercy-seat,  and  mingles  with  them  in  its 
bowers  of  bliss. 

Did  Adam  and  Eve,  previous  to  their  fall,  exhibit 
the  bloom  and  glow  and  beauty  of  immortality,  and 
the  possession  of  eternal  youth?  The  inhabitants 
of  heaven  stand,  in  their  peculiar  beauty  as  well  as 
in  their  immortality,  before  the  throne  of  God.  The 
paleness  of  decaying  health  is  never  seen  to  over- 
spread their  countenances,  as  they  walk  through 
these  bowers  of  paradise.  No  inhabitant  there  ever 
says,  "I  am  sick,"  or  presses  a  sick-bed,  or  suffers 
death,  or  is  ever  laid  by  mourning  survivors  in  a 
grave.  No  funeral  was  ever  seen  moving  slowly 
and  solemnly  along  the  highways  of  eternal  life  to 
the  city  of  the  dead,  — the  lonely  churchyard.  No 
bereaved  mourner  appears  in  heaven  standing  sor- 
rowfully at  the  newly  filled-up  resting-place,  and 
looking  down  in  tears  upon  the  spot  where  a  once- 
beloved  friend  lies.  The  inhabitants  there  are  in 
possession  of  a  life  without  end  :  they  will  live  as 
long  as  God  himself,  as  long  as  Jesus  who  is  upon 
the  throne,  as  long  as  heaven  itself  will  exist ;  and 
that  will  be  for  ever. 

Do  our  first  parents  in  Eden,  as  previous  to  their 
fall,  walk  now  with  God  in  the  light  of  holiness? 
Heaven  is  creation's  Holy  of  Holies.    It  is  a  holy  place, 


40  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

and  all  are  holy  who  dwell  in  it.  I  believe,  so 
bright,  so  shining,  so  glorious  in  holiness,  are  all  the 
members  of  God's  great  family  in  heaven,  that  were 
I  taken  up  at  this  moment  into  it,  and  set  down 
among  them,  I  could  no  more  gaze  upon  their  faces 
and  forms  than  the  Jews  could  upon  the  counte- 
nance of  Moses  arrayed  in  the  lustre  of  God ;  than 
his  persecutors  could  upon  the  face  of  Stephen,  so 
like  that  of  an  angel ;  than  I,  with  unshrinking  eye, 
could  look  upon  ten  thousand  suns.  Saul  was  struck 
blind  by  the  outbursting  around  his  path  of  Christ's 
manifested  presence.  What  would  I  feel  were  Christ 
at  this  moment  to  unveil  himself  to  my  view,  sur- 
rounded by  all  these  exalted  and  resplendent  hosts  ? 
I  believe  that  one  look  would  in  a  moment  strike  me 
blind,  and  thus  spread  at  once,  so  far  as  I  was  con- 
cerned, a  mantle  of  darkness  over  all  the  august 
personages  who  now  move  through  these  peopled 
heavens. 

Do  our  first  parents,  as  previous  to  their  fall  in 
Eden,  dwell  together  in  love?  and  do  they  feel  their 
highest  and  their  purest  happiness,  next  to  their  cove- 
nant-communion with  God,  to  spring  from  their 
intercourse  with  each  other?  Are  their  bosoms  two 
well-tuned  instruments  of  music,  that  pour  forth 
their  melodious  tones  in  sweetest  harmony?  Are 
they  as  two  morning-stars  beaming  forth  in  their 
calm  sublimity  from  the  deep-blue  azure  of  a  cloud- 
less sky?     Are  they  as  two  .ZEolian  harps  played 


EDEN  AND    CANAAN.  41 

upon  by  the  same  holy  gale  of  love  ?  Heaven  ?s  the 
paradise  of  love.  All  who  are  in  heaven  are  living 
in  love.  It  is  the  very  atmosphere  of  heaven,  —  the 
breath  of  all  its  glorious  inhabitants,  —  the  language 
in  which  they  address  one  another,  —  the  power 
which  lights  up  the  holy  eye  wherewith  they  look 
upon  each  other.  Surely  it  will  be  joyful  to  leave 
behind  us  for  ever  the  cruel  hatreds  of  earth,  to  spend 
a  long  eternity  in  that  holy  Eden  of  love,  sitting 
under  our  Redeemer's  shadow, — feeling  his  fruit  to 
be  sweet  to  our  taste,  —  being  led  by  him  into  his 
celestial  banqueting-house,  —  having  his  banner 
spread  over  us  for  eternity,  even  the  banner  of  cova 
nanting  love  ! 

The  earthly  Canaan  was  not  merely  the  local  habi 
tation  of  the  people  of  God  :  it  was  a  place  of  social 
intercourse.      Was   Canaan  the  Land  of    Promise? 
Heaven  is  this  to  the  whole  spiritual  Israel  of  God. 
It  is  the  Promised  Land  which  your  God  has  pre 
pared  for  you  who  are  believers  in  Jesus  :  it  is  ready 
for  your  joyful  and  triumphant  entrance  ;  and  when 
you  have  crossed  the  Jordan,  and  have  taken  posses 
sion,  you  will  live  in  it,  —  nay,  you  will  never  leaAe 
it,  — whilst  the  endless  cycles  of  a  glad  eternity  are 
rolling  over  you. 

Not  merely  twelve  visitors  have  left  the  wilderness 
of  the  world  to  go  and  spy  the  Land  of  Promise, 
but  multitudes,  whose  numbers  cannot  be  reckoned 
up,  have  left  the  camp  of  the  human  family  in  the 


42  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

world,  have  crossed  the  Jordan  of  death,  have  en- 
tered eternity,  and  are  now  in  the  goodly  land.  The 
Holy  Spirit  is  the  bunch  of  grapes  which  the  Lord 
Jesus  has  brought  out  to  us  from  heaven,  to  give  us 
a  foretaste  of  the  fruits  which  are  spread  over  its 
vine-clad  hills  and  are  enjoyed  in  its  banque ting- 
houses.  Hence  says  Jesus  to  his  disciples,  "I  will 
drink  no  more  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine  with  you,  until 
the  day  that  I  drink  it  new  with  you  in  my  Father's 
kingdom." 

Was  the  earthly  Canaan  a  land  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey?  What  is  the  better  land,  the  heavenly? 
"  The  Lamb  who  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne," 
throughout  eternity,  "  shall  feed  them,  and  shall 
lead  them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters ;  and  God 
shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes."  They 
feed  upon  the  fruits  of  the  tree  of  life  ;  they  drink  of 
the  rivers  of  God's  pleasures  ;  and  thus  they  hunger 
no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more.  The  Lord  God  is 
their  sun  and  shield.  They  are  dwelling  in  a  world 
of  unchanging  and  of  unfailing  abundance. 

Was  the  earthly  Canaan  something  like  the  light- 
house of  heavenly  knowledge  to  the  world,  shining 
in  the  midst  of  an  ocean  of  ignorance,  over  which  a 
night  of  deep  darkness  brooded?  Was  it  Goshen 
filled  with  light,  whilst  a  darkness  that  might  be  felt 
was  filling  the  various  provinces  of  Egypt  ?  Heaven 
is  creation's  lighthouse.  It  is  a  world  filled  with  the 
uncreated  light  of  God's  glory,  and  in  which  there  is 


EDEN  AND    CANAAN.  43 

no  darkness  at  all.  "  They  who  are  in  it  need  no 
candle,  neither  light  of  the  sun ;  for  the  Lord  God 
giveth  them  light."  "  There  is  no  night  there  :  the 
Lamb  is  the  light  thereof." 

Did  the  silver  trumpet  sound  every  fiftieth  year  in 
Palestine,  proclaiming  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the 
opening  of  the  prison-doors  to  them  who  were  bound  ? 
Was  this  the  joyful  experience  of  the  oppressed 
in  Israel  when  the  year  of  jubilee  dawned  ?  "  Blessed 
is  the  people  that  know  the  joyful  sound  :  they  shall 
walk,  O  Lord !  in  the  light  of  thy  countenance." 
Heaven  is  the  world  of  liberty :  "  Jerusalem  that  is 
above  is  free,  which  is  the  mother  of  us  all."  Those  I  <J^c 
who  are  in  it  are  free  from  slavery,  from  sin,  from 
pain,  from  sorrow,  from  death. 


CHAPTER  HI. 


TYPES    OF   HEAVEN. A   TEMPLE. 


TEMPLE,  or  church,  is  a  type  of  heaven : 
"Him  that  overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar 
in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go 
no  more  out ;  and  I  will  write  upon  him  the  name 
of  my  God,  and  the  name  of  the  city  of  my  God, 
which  is  new  Jerusalem,  which  cometh  down  out  of 
heaven  from  my  God  ;  and  I  will  write  upon  him  my 
new  name."  "What  are  these  which  are  arrayed  in 
white  robes?  and  whence  came  they?  These  are 
they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have 
washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  are  they  before 
the  throne  of  God,  and  serve  him  day  and  night  in 
his  temple  ;  and  He  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall 
dwell  among  them." 

The  great  universe  is  the  temple  of  God's  pre- 
sence.    The  Church  —  every  believer's  soul  —  is  the 

[44] 


A    TEMPLE. 


45 


temple  of  God's  grace.  Heaven  is  the  temple  of 
God's  glory.  A  temple  is  a  house  consecrated  to 
God,  in  which  he  dwells,  and  meets  with  his  people, 
and  blesses  them  ;  and  it  is  a  place  of  social  inter- 
course, not  only  betwixt  God  and  his  people  who1; 
assemble  there,  but  also  among  these  worshippers 
themselves.  The  worship  of  God  is  the  very  object 
for  which  a  temple  is  built;  and  the  chief  pur- 
pose for  which  God  reared  the  heavens  and  spread 
them  forth  was  that  he  might  have  one  region,  at 
least,  in  his  vast  and  boundless  dominions,  in  which 
the  great  retinue  of  followers  who  are  round  about 
him,  and  the  innumerable  hosts  who  are  assembled 
above,  might  worship  him  day  and  night  in  his 
temple. 

Heaven,  I  believe,  has  been  too  much  viewed  as  a 
world  of  mere  rest  and  complete  deliverance  from  all 
the  ills  that  afflict  us  here,  and  too  little  as  a  temple  ; 
for,  if  heaven  be  a  temple,  it  is  a  life  spent  by  us  here 
in  God's  worship,  both  public  and  private,  through 
Jesus,  that  alone  fits  and  prepares  us  for  its  holy 
exercises. 

The  whole  of  heaven  is  one  vast  temple.  The  / 
endless  eternity  above  is  one  continuous  and  never-  \j 
ending  sabbath. 

I  cannot  tell  exactly  in  ivhat  God's  worship  in  the 
temple  of  heaven  consists.  From  various  incidental 
allusions  made  in  the  Scriptures,  it  is  evident  that 
praise  constitutes  a  part  of  it.     I  never  read  of  those 


46  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

who  are  in  heaven  engaging  in  prayer  to  God,  as  we 
do  upon  earth,  for  the  pardon  of  sin,  for  the  Spirit 
to  sanctify,  and  for  the  daily  grace  which  we  require. 
I  often  read,  however,  of  them  engaging  in  praise. 
It  thus  appears  that  it  is  Christ  alone  who  prays  in 
heaven  and  intercedes  for  us.  All  the  created  intel- 
ligences who  are  there  spend  their  glad  eternity,  not 
in  praying,  but  in  praising. 

Do  not,  however,  imagine  that  the  praises  of 
heaven  never  vary  in  their  subject.  You  have  only 
to  read  your  Bible  carefully  to  see  that  there  is  a 
very  great  variety  indeed  in  the  subjects  which  call 
forth  the  praises  of  the  assembled  hosts  who  stand 
before  the  throne  of  God.  At  one  time,  God  is 
praised  by  them  as  the  great  Creator  of  all  things  : 
w  The  four  and  twenty  elders  fall  down  before  Him 
that  sat  on  the  throne,  and  worship  Him  that  liveth 
for  ever  and  ever,  and  cast  their  crowns  before  the 
throne,  saying,  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive 
glory  and  honor  and  power :  for  thou  has  created 
all  things ;  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are,  and  were 
created."  At  another  time,  for  the  spread  of  Christ's 
kingdom  upon  earth :  "  And  the  seventh  angel 
sounded ;  and  there  were  great  voices  in  heaven, 
saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ,  and  he 
shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.  And  the  four  and 
twenty  elders,  which  sat  before  God  on  their  seats., 
fell  upon  their  faces,  and  worshipped  God,  saying, 


A    TEMrLE.  47 

We  give  thee  thanks,  O  Lord  God  Almighty,  which 
art,  and  wast,  and  art  to  come ;  because  thou  Hast 
taken  to  thee  thy  great  power,  and  hast  reigned." 
The  triumph  believers  obtain  through  Jesus  over 
Satan  is  at  another  time  the  subject  of  a  distinct 
song  to  God  by  the  assemblies  of  heaven  :  "  And  I 
heard  a  loud  voice  saying  in  heaven,  Now  is  come 
salvation  and  strength,  and  the  kingdom  of  our  God, 
and  the  power  of  his  Christ ;  for  the  accuser  of  our 
brethren  is  cast  down,  which  accused  them  before 
our  God  day  and  night.  And  they  overcame  him 
by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their 
testimony ;  and  they  loved  not  their  lives  unto  the 
death.  Therefore  rejoice,  ye  heavens,  and  ye  that 
dwell  in  them."  The  conversion  of  every  sinner 
causes  joy  to  those  who  are  in  heaven ;  and  I  pre- 
sume, over  every  wandered  child's  return  to  God 
upon  earth,  a  special  song  of  praise  will  be  presented 
to  Him  who  is  upon  the  throne. 

The  inhabitants  of  heaven  are  not  spending  their 
eternity  in  idleness.  They  feel  how  much  God  has 
done  for  them  ;  and  they  show  their  gratitude  to  him, 
for  all  his  great  and  unspeakable  benefits  bestowed 
upon  them,  by  doing  his  will,  by  engaging  unceasing- 
ly in  his  service,  and  in  the  worship  of  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost.  Nor  are  you  to  imagine  that  there 
is  no  reciprocation  and  no  mutual  and  no  endearing 
personal  intercourse  betwixt  the  worshipped  and  the 
worshippers,  — betwixt  Him  who  is  upon  the  throne 


48  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

and  those  who  are  assembled  before  it,  —  or  that  the 
worship  consists  simply  and  solely  and  exclusively  of 
praise. 

The  redeemed  from  earth  have  left  their  Bibles 
behind  them  in  the  world,  from  whose  holy  and 
dearly  relished  pages  they  learned  God's  will  whilst 
here  below,  and  heard  God  himself  speaking  to 
them.  Have  they  no  means  of  obtaining  a  know- 
ledge of  God's  mind  and  will,  now  that  they  are 
standing  before  him  unveiled?  Being  in  the  pre- 
sence of  a  person  does  not  necessarily  convey  to  you 
a  knowledge  of  his  will.  So  far  as  I  see  or  can  per- 
ceive, being  in  the  presence  of  the  eternal  God, 
and  at  the  foot  of  his  august  throne,  does  not  neces- 
sarily put  his  children  in  the  possession  of  Jehovah's 
will.  I  believe  that  the  prerogative  of  seeing  and 
of  knowing  the  thoughts  of  other  beings  is  possessed 
by  God  alone.  He  only  can  look  into  the  bosoms 
of  created  spirits,  and  can  view  what  is  passing 
there,  even  as  we  look  upon  a  crowd  assembled  in 
the  market-place,  or  scan  the  words  in  the  pages  of 
a  book,  and  in  these  visible  signs  see  the  author's 
thoughts,  and  even  catch  the  glow  of  his  sentiments 
and  emotions.  I  believe  that  the  created  inhabitants 
of  heaven  cannot  look  into  the  bosom  of  the  great 
God,  and  see  his  thoughts  and  behold  his  will,  till  he 
gives  expression  to  these  in  the  vocables  of  heaven, 
in  the  utterances  of  eternity. 

Does  God,  then,  make  no  communication  of  his 


A    TEMPLE.  49 

will  now  to  those  who  are  in  heaven  ?  Do  they 
nothing  but  praise,  praise,  praise?  Does  God  sit 
upon  the  throne  of  his  majesty,  and  does  he  neither 
break  the  silence  of  eternity,  nor  make  known  one 
new  revelation  of  his  will  to  those  who  are  round 
about  it  ?  If  so,  then  I  have  only  to  say,  that  there 
is  a  great  difference  betwixt  God's  present  dealing 
with  those  who  are  in  heaven  from  what  it  was 
whilst  they  remained  upon  earth. 

The  Scriptures  reveal  to  us  the  fact,  that  God  has 
been  condescending  to  speak  to  his  people  audibly 
and  face  to  face  in  almost  every  age.  He  spoke 
thus  to  our  first  parents  in  Eden ;  to  Cain,  when 
reproving  him  for  the  murder  of  his  brother ;  to 
Noah,  in  giving  intimation  of  the  coming  deluge ; 
to  the  tribes  of  Israel,  when  trembling  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Sinai;  to  Moses,  both  on  the  mount  and  in 
the  tabernacle ;  to  Job,  from  the  careering  whirl- 
wind;  to  the  three  disciples,  upon  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration ;  and  to  many  others,  the  occasions 
of  which  are  referred  to  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Did 
God  speak  thus  to  none  upon  earth  till  the  canon  of 
Scripture  closed,  except  to  those  who  are  particu- 
larly mentioned  in  the  Bible  ?  Has  he  never  spoken 
to  his  people  upon  earth  since,  either  in  dreams,  in 
the  visions  of  the  night,  or  in  their  holy  communion 
with  him  by  day?  I  am  not  prepared  to  answer 
these  questions  in  the  negative.  I  believe  that  what 
God  has  often  thus  done  to  his  people  upon  earth, 

3 


50 


TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 


speaking  audibly  to  them  in  a  language  which  they 
understood,  and  graciously  revealing  to  them  his 
holy  will,  is  just  a  glimpse  and  foreshadowing  of  what 
he  is  doing  in  heaven ;  just  as  his  meeting  with  his 
people  and  blessing  them  whilst  here  is  an  earnest 
and  a  symbol  of  what  he  is  doing  to  his  people  who 
are  assembled  before  him  above. 

A  sovereign  in  his  court  upon  earth  is  not  always 
silent  and  uncommunicative  to  the  courtiers  and 
others  who  meet  in  his  palace.  A  father  does  not 
sit  during  his  whole  life  entirely  silent  in  the  midst 
of  his  children  and  friends.  Is  not  God  a  sovereign, 
seated  upon  his  throne,  in  his  own  celestial  palace? 
Are  not  his  courtiers  and  attendants  crowding  the 
celestial  presence-chamber,  and  waiting  for  an  audi- 
ence of  the  Great  King  ?  Is  not  God  a  father  ?  and 
does  he  not  dwell  in  the  midst  of  his  great  family, 
as  they  wait  for  the  smile  of  his  paternal  love,  and 
does  he  never  speak?  Does  he  never  look  down, 
either  with  the  condescension  of  a  sovereign  or  the 
love  of  a  father?  The  very  supposition  spreads  a 
gloom  and  an  unsociaLcoldness  over  our  views  of 
heaven. 

I  believe,  that,  whilst  the  multitudes  in  heaven  are 
permitted  to  speak  to  God,  and  to  hold  endearmg 
converse  with  him  in  holy  and  blissful  communion, — 
thus  prayer  upon  earth  is  a  figure  of  this  intercourse 
enjoyed  by  the  saints,  —  God  condescends  to  speak 
to  them  also  upon  particular  occasions,  to  break  by 


A    TEMPLE. 

the  voice  divine  the  silence  of  eternity, 
known  to  them  both  additional  and  fuller< 
of  his  will  than  they  previously  possessed. 

When  a  sovereign,  upon  great  occasions,  speaks 
in  the  palace  or  in  parliament,  the  assemblies  present 
attentively  listen,  the  hum  of  their  previous  conver- 
sation is  hushed,  and  all  eyes  are  instantly,  in 
profound  earnestness,  turned  towards  the  speaker. 
Oh !  then,  surely  when  God  speaks  from  the  midst 
of  the  light  that  is  inaccessible  and  full  of  glory,  and 
from  the  throne  of  his  sovereignty,  and,  in  accents 
of  divine  love,  delivers  some  new  and  holy  commu- 
nication of  his  will  to  the  assemblies  who  are  above , 
the  ascending  swell  and  the  commingled  anthems  of 
praise,  that  were  previously  rising  from  the  ranks 
of  angels  and  of  the  glorified,  will  instantly  cease 
and  become  hushed,  like  the  sudden  calm  that  came 
down  upon  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  when  Jesus  rose  in 
the  ship,  and  looked  out  upon  the  rolling  billows, 
driven  and  lashed  into  foam  by  the  furious  winds, 
and  said,  "  Peace,  be  still !  " 

If  you  ask,  "  Upon  what  subjects  do  I  suppose  will 
God  speak  on  these  occasions  ?  "  I  answer,  I  cannot 
dogmatically  tell ;  but  there  are  many  themes  upon 
which  God  may  speak.  He  may  give  audible  inti- 
mation respecting  what  he  wishes  angels  and  glorified 
saints  to  do  in  their  several  places ;  he  may  give 
information  to  the  whole  assemblies  above,  when 
another  and  another  of  his  children  press  a  death- 


52  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

bed  upon  earth,  and  single  out  the  angels  who  are 
to  go  down  and  bear  them  up  in  triumph  to  their 
rest ;  he  may  give  intelligence  respecting  the  more 
prominent  events  in  connection  with  Christ's  kingdom 
and  cause  that  are  taking  place  in  the  world  below. 

Nor  may  he  speak  merely  about  what  is  taking 
place  in  heaven  and  upon  earth  :  he  may,  on  particular 
occasions,  refer  to  the  past.  He  may  describe,  in  words 
that  are  divine,  what  was  taking  place  throughout 
his  great  universe  during  the  long  ages  that  pre- 
ceded the  morning  of  creation,  —  what  he  was 
during  that  period,  what  he  felt,  and  what  he  was 
doing,  and  where  was  the  shining-forth  of  his  glory ; 
or  he  may  describe  the  creation  of  angels,  of  the 
heavens,  of  the  earth,  of  the  human  family,  and  of 
all  that  exists,  and  solve,  in  words  conveying  a  whole 
flood  of  light,  many  of  those  subjects  that  have  for 
ages  puzzled  dogmatizing  geologists,  and  baffled  the 
puny  philosophers  of  earth ;  or  he  may  refer  to  the 
glow  of  that  eternal  love  in  the  bosom  of  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  that  embodied  its  promptings 
in  the  formation  of  the  covenant  of  grace ;  or  he 
may  assign  the  precise  reason  or  reasons  why  He 
who  is  all  power,  and  all  wisdom,  and  all  knowledge, 
and  all  goodness,  and  all  love,  and  who  could  have 
made  his  whole  universe  a  paradise  of  life,  and  of  holi- 
ness, and  of  happmess,  nevertheless  permitted  moral 
evil  to  enter  it,  to  mar,  to  disfigure,  and  to  spread 
death  over  it,  —  a  subject  that  has  been  a  dark  con- 


A    TEMPLE.  53 

tention  both  to  philosophers  and  divines  in  every 
age  ;  or  he  may  give,  in  revelations  that  carry  con- 
victions of  his  equity  to  every  hearer,  the  reason  or 
reasons  why,  in  the  sovereignty  of  his  justice,  he 
passed  fallen  angels  by,  and,  in  the  sovereignty  of 
his  grace,  made  provision  for  the  eternal  redemption 
of  fallen  man ;  or  he  may  make  known  the  sr7cmn 
fact,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all,  that  the  incar- 
nation and  humiliation  and  sufferings  and  death 
of  his  only-begotten  and  well-beloved  Son  were  so 
absolutely  necessary,  that  there  was  no  other  mode 
possible,  even  to  God,  to  bring  salvation  to  man, 
consistently  with  the  claims  of  divine  justice,  and 
with  the  maintenance  of  the  principles  of  his  moral 
government  over  the  intelligent  universe ;  or  he 
may  show  the  precise  reason  why  the  mission  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  to  the  world  was  delayed  for  so  many 
thousands  of  years  after  the  promise  of  it  had  been 
given  to  the  human  family ;  or  he  may  assign  the 
reason  why  he  did  not  cause  the  gospel  to  be  spread 
through  the  world  instantaneously  by  a  miracle,  but 
left  it  to  be  propagated  gradually  by  the  living 
agency  of  the  Church  of  Christ ;  or  he  may  tell 
the  listening  assemblies  why  it  was  that  he  permitted 
the  monstrous  systems  of  religious  delusions  to  origi- 
nate and  exist,  that  have  overspread  the  world  and 
overshadowed  the  nations,  in  different  ages,  like  so 
many  upas-trees  ;  or  he  may  speak  of  the  future, 
and  tell  to  angels,  and  to  the  spirits  of  the  just  made 


54  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

perfect,  when  the  last  day  is  to  dawn  upon  the  earth, 
when  the  judgment  is  to  sit,  when  the  resurrection- 
morning  is  to  overshadow  the  world,  and  when  the 
long,  dark  night  of  the  grave  is  to  roll  away  for 
ever. 

On  other  occasions,  the  Lord  Jesus  will  occupy,  if 
I  may  use  the  expression,  the  pulpit  in  the  heavenly 
temple.  Then,  when  the  Great  Preacher  himself 
begins  to  address  the  great  congregation,  the- mighty 
assemblies  will  instantly  cease  their  song  of  praise 
which  they  are  lifting  before  the  throne  of  God ;  and, 
like  the  rustling  foliage  of  a  large  forest  when  sud- 
denly  stirred  and  breathed  upon  by  the  passing  wind, 
they  will  be  moved  by  his  holy  voice,  while,  with 
the  eye  of  their  earnest  and  silent  attention  fixed 
upon  him,  they  will  listen  with  a  deep  and  solemn 
stillness  to  the  words  of  grace  and  of  love  that 
proceed  out  of  his  mouth. 

If  Christ's  eloquence  was  so  sweet  and  persuasive 
and  fascinating  whilst  upon  earth,  that  even  his  ene- 
mies were  forced  to  exclaim,  w  Never  man  spake 
like  this  man,"  what  then  is  it,  what  will  its  power 
and  influence  be,  whilst  heard  by  the  great  congre- 
gation in  heaven? 

Do  you  hesitate  to  admit  the  possibility  of  Christ 
preaching  to  the  assembled  hosts  above  ?  Notice,  in 
proof  of  it,  these  views.  Jesus  preached  whilst 
down  upon  the  earth  here,  and  prayed,  and  spoke  in 
the  most  condescending  and  familiar  manner  to  his 


A    TEMPLE.  55 

disciples  and  followers ;  and  lie  is  the  same  yester- 
day, to-day,  and  for  ever.  "  Seeing,  then,  that  we 
have  a  great  High  Priest,  that  has  passed  into  the 
heavens,  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our 
profession."  Further,  the  Lord  Jesus  is  expressly 
called  the  minister  of  the  "true  tabernacle,"  —  hea- 
ven, —  of  which  the  tabernacle  among  the  Jews  was 
a  mere  shadow.  "Now,  of  the  things  which  we 
have  spoken,  this  is  the  sum  :  We  have  such  an  High 
Priest,  who  is  set  on  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of 
the  Majesty  in  the  heavens  ;  a  minister  of  the  sanc- 
tuary and  of  the  true  tabernacle,  which  the  Lord 
pitched,  and  not  man." 

The  Lord  Jesus  preached  upon  earth.  His  voice 
was  often  heard  here,  making  known  to  those  around 
him  the  extent  and  the  spirituality  of  the  law  of 
God ;  the  greatness  and  the  fervor  of  the  love  ex- 
isting in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  towards  the  human 
family  ;  the  movement  that  had  originated  in  heaven, 
and  that  was  going  forward  upon  earth,  for  the  sal- 
vation of  the  perishing. 

Can  it  be,  Christ's  voice  is  never  heard  now  in 
that  heavenly  tabernacle  where  he  presides  in  the 
midst  of  his  followers  ?  Is  Jesus  as  silent  now  as  if 
he  were  a  statue  of  white  polished  marble,  erect  and 
motionless,  standing  cold  and  still  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  throne  of  God?  If  he  mingled  with  his  fol- 
lowers upon  earth  in  all  the  intimacies  of  the  most 
condescending  and  endearing  friendship,  can  it  be 


56  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

that  he  is  now  in  a  state  of  isolation  and  of  entire 
and  lonely  separation  from  all  the  assembled  hosts 
who  crowd  around  him,  and  who  look  to  him  as  the 
great  object  of  their  love,  with  all  the  ardor  and 
with  all  the  unquenchable  glow  of  that  holy  feeling  ? 
Is  that  bosom  cold  now  in  heaven  that  once  glowed 
with  such  ardor  of  affection  to  his  people  upon  earth ! 
Love  is  not  a  selfish  and  silent  and  an  uncommuni- 
cative emotion.  It  may  be  that  Christ's  voice  is  not 
heard  alone  in  heaven  as  the  intercessor  of  his  Church 
and  people,  addressing  the  eternal  Father  on  their 
behalf.  That  voice  may  also  be  heard  addressing 
angels,  and  also  his  people,  with  an  eloquence  of 
which  we  can  form  only  a  very  inadequate  idea.  I 
may  ask,  Is  the  Lord  Jesus  the  minister  of  heaven? 
Is  he  the  elder  Brother  of  God's  family  ?  Is  he  the 
great  High  Priest  who  is  over  the  house  of  the  Lord  ? 
Do  the  redeemed  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he 
goeth  ?  Does  the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of  the  throne 
feed  them,  and  lead  them  to  fountains  of  living  waters  ? 
Whilst  the  Lord  Jesus  is  one  with  God,  is  he  not 
also  one  with  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the 
first-born?  Does  he  not  retain  in  heaven  now  the 
holy  social  nature  which  he  possessed  upon  earth? 
Then  rest  assured,  that  Jesus  in  heaven  mingles  with 
the  hosts  who  are  there,  speaks  to  them,  and  makes 
known  more  fully  the  unsearchable  riches  of  the 
love  of  God.  Oh,  how  lofty  and  how  comforting  is 
the  view,  that  the  whole  of  heaven  is  a  church  ;  that 


A    TEMPLE.  57 

the  created  hosts  who  are  in  it  form  one  great  con- 
gregation !  Jesus  is  the  preacher;  and,  on  these 
occasions,  — you  will  not,  perhaps,  call  these  seasons 
the  sabbaths  of  eternity ;  for  the  whole  endless  roll 
of  the  cycles  above  is  one  continuous,  holy,  calm, 
and  eternal  sabbath,  —  Jesus  preaches  to  the  mighty 
assemblies  who  are  congregated  before  him,  forming 
a  multitude  whom  no  man  can  number. 

There  are  subjects  worthy  of  such  a  preacher  and  of 
such  an  audience.  On  these  occasions,  Jesus  may 
refer,  not  in  the  way  of  reproach,  but  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  great  love  wherewiflh  he  has  loved  the 
children  of  men,  to  the  unspeakable  sacrifices  which 
he  made  to  bring  them  salvation ;  how  he  spent  his 
past  eternity,  before  the  world  was,  in  holy  love,  and 
in  holy  communion  and  in  blissful  fellowship  with 
the  Father  and  with  the  Spirit,  and,  in  the  fulness 
of  time,  left  it ;  how  he  had  glory  with  the  Father 
before  this  world  was,  and,  in  the  day  of  his  coming 
to  earth,  veiled  it  for  a  season  ;  how  He  who  was  in 
the  form  of  God,  and  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be 
equal  with  God,  nevertheless  made  himself  of  no 
reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant, 
and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men ;  how  He  who 
had  been  throughout  a  past  eternity  the  Father's 
delight,  rejoicing  always  before  him,  became  a  man 
of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief;  how  He  who 
was  the  mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father,  became 
a  Child  born  and  a  Son  given  upon  earth. 

3* 


58  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

Jesus  may  also  describe  the  wonder  and  amaze- 
ment and  intense  thrill  of  awe  that  spread  through 
heaven  when  its  onlooking  assemblies  saw  a  new  and 
mysterious  eclipse  beginning  to  come  over  Him  who 
is  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  and  the  veil  of  conceal- 
ment commencing  to  hide  the  shining-forth  of  his 
divine  attributes. 

It  is  true,  the  Scriptures  do  not  reveal  to  us  what 
new  emotions,  what  wonder,  what  feelings  of  amaze- 
ment, were  circulating  through  the  bosoms  of  those 
in  heaven  when  they  beheld  the  Son  of  God  leaving 
the  throne.  But  is  there  no  new  sensation  in  a  home 
when  a  beloved  son  is  preparing  to  go  out  from  it 
upon  some  important  mission  ?  Is  there  no  sympa- 
thetic emotion  in  a  kingdom  when  a  beloved  monarch 
leaves  his  throne,  and  lays  aside  his  royal  apparel,  and 
forsakes  his  palace  and  his  courtiers,  and  goes  forth 
upon  some  important  emprise  of  difficulty  and  of 
danger?  Nay,  is  there  no  tumultuating  sorrow  in 
your  hearts  who  are  parents,  and  in  the  bosoms  of 
the  other  members  of  your  family,  wrhen  you  look 
upon  a  beloved  child  going  out  from  you,  amid  the 
solemnities  of  the  funeral  day,  to  be  laid  in  the 
grave  ?  Jesus  may  represent  to  those  who  were  not 
then  in  heaven  the  emotions  that  thrilled  through  it 
when  the  fulness  of  time  dawned ;  when  he  bowed 
the  heavens,  and  came  down.  He  may  describe  too, 
more  particularly  than  the  Scriptures  have  done,  the 
depth  and  the  terribleness  of  his  sorrow,  which  he  en- 


A    TEMPLE.  59 

dured  for  the  salvation  of  the  lost ;  how  he  trod  the 
wine-press  alone,  while  of  the  people  there  was  none 
with  him  ;  how  he  felt  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane, 
when  "  his  soul  was  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto 
death,  and  his  sweat  was  as  it  were  great  drops  of 
blood  falling  down  upon  the  ground ; "  how  he  felt 
upon  the  cross,  when  the  Father  withdrew  from  him 
the  light  of  his  countenance,  the  sensible  tokens  of 
his  love,  and  when,  in  the  horrors  of  deep  darkness 
and  desertion,  he  exclaimed,  "My  God,  my  God, 
why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?"  how  the  darkness  that 
came  down  upon  the  earth  was  the  shadow  of  the 
deeper  darkness  that  was  upon  his  soul ;  how  he  felt 
when  sleeping  among  the  dead ;  how  he  felt  when 
the  resurrection-morning  dawned,  and  when  the  an- 
gel from  heaven  was  in  the  act  of  rolling  back  the 
stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre,  and  when  he 
was  rising  the  conqueror  of  death  ;  how  the  heavens 
were  moved  when  his  ascension  from  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  and  from  the  midst  of  his  assembled  follow- 
ers, was  taking  place,  when  the  everlasting  doors 
were  lifted  up,  and  the  gates  of  glory  were  flung  wide 
open,  that,  amid  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands 
of  attending  angels,  he  might  return  to  his  native 
heavens  ;  how  the  thrill  of  an  indescribable  joy  shot 
through  the  bosoms  of  all  who  were  in  heaven,  when 
they  looked  up,  and  saw  him  seated  in  his  glory  upon 
the  throne  with  God.  What  communications  may 
not  Jesus  thus  make  to  the  listening   assemblies, 


60 


TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 


whilst  the  joyful  cycles  of  a  long  eternity  are  rolling 
on  !  What  new  revelations  of  God,  of  himself,  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  of  the  ways  of  God  with  man,  may 
not  Jesus  thus  make  ! 

So,  too,  Jesus  may  describe  to  the  assemblies  the 
various  events  that  are  taking  place  upon  earth  in 
connection  with  his  kingdom, — the  name  of  every 
new  penitent,  the  spread  of  his  cause  among  the 
nations  of  the  world.  When  not  engaged  in  making 
known  to  the  great  congregation  views  such  as  I 
have  suggested,  will  he  not  condescendingly  walk 
with  his  followers  in  heaven,  and  talk  with  them 
personally  in  the  language  of  eternity?  He  did 
these  whilst  upon  earth.  Is  he  not  acting  similarly 
towards  his  people  who  are  now  with  him?  Joy- 
ous indeed  will  eternity  be  that  is  spent  in  this  holy 
and  personal  and  loving  communion. 

I  address  myself  to  you  who  are  the  ambassadors 
of  Christ,  the  heralds  of  the  cross,  the  messengers  of 
peace  to  men  from  Him  who  is  King  in  Zion.  When 
you  take  your  position  in  the  pulpit  on  the  holy  sab- 
bath of  the  Lord,  and  stand  up  in  the  name  of  a 
reconciled  God,  a  risen  Saviour,  a  Spirit  who  is  love, 
to  preach  to  your  fellow-worshippers  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  and  to  ask  them  to  behold  the  Lamb  of  God 
who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  remember 
whose  representatives  you  are.  Whilst  you  are 
addressing  the  listening  assembly  before  you,  elevate 
your  thoughts  and  views,  and  remember  that  you 


A    TEMPLE. 


61 


are  doing  in  the  sanctuary  upon  earth  what  Jesus 
may  be  doing,  and  probably  is  doing,  in  the  temple 
of  heaven.  Look  up  in  faith  to  Him  who  is  your 
new-covenant  Head  ;  preach  with  the  same  glow  of 
holy  affection,  with  the  same  tenderness  and  sympa- 
thy and  love  of  souls  warming  your  hearts,  that  are 
now  pervading  the  bosom  of  Jesus. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


TYPES    OF   HEAVEN. A   CITY. 


CITY  is  a  type  of  heaven  ;  not  in  its  morali- 
ty, but  in  the  concourse  of  its  citizens,  and 
in  their  intercourse  with  each  other.  By  far 
the  most  splendid  description  of  heaven  which  the 
Bible  contains  is  given  by  the  Apostle  John  in  the 
twenty-first  chapter  of  the  Book  of  Revelation  :  "And 
I  John  saw  the  holy  city,  new  Jerusalem,  coming 
down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride 
adorned  for  her  husband.  And  I  heard  a  great  voice 
out  of  heaven,  saying,  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of 
God  is  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and 
they  shall  be  his  people ;  and  God  himself  shall  be 
with  them,  and  be  their  God.  And  God  shall  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  their  eyes ;  and  there  shall  be 
no  more  death,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  neither 
shall  there  be  any  more  pain  :  for  the  former  things 
are  passed  away.   .   .   .  And   there  came  unto  me 

[62] 


A    CITY.  63 

one  of  the  seven  angels  which  had  the  seven  vials 
full  of  the  seven  last  plagues,  and  talked  with  me, 
saying,  Come  hither,  I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the 
Lamb's  wife.  And  he  carried  me  away  in  the  spirit 
to  a  great  and  high  mountain,  and  showed  me  that 
great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending  out  of 
heaven  from  God."  Surely  we  may  well  say,  "  Glo- 
rious things  are  spoken  of  thee,  O  city  of  God  ! " 

The  new  Jerusalem  hath  a  wall  of  glory  great  and 
high,  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  height,  according  to 
the  measure  of  the  angel.  It  has  twelve  gates,  and 
at  these  gates  twelve  angels  are  standing  with  un- 
slumbering  eyes.  They  are  looking  forth,  as  you 
look  forth  from  your  home  with  watchful  anxiety 
when  you  are  expecting  a  beloved  one's  return,  upon 
the  nations  of  earth,  and  upon  the  homes  of  the 
human  family  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  world 
below  them ;  and  they  are  welcoming  into  heaven 
the  pilgrims  of  time  who  fall  asleep  in  Jesus,  and 
who  are  going  up  to  the  city  which  hath  foundations, 
as  a  cloud,  and  as  the  doves  to  their  windows.  The 
gates  of  the  city  are  twelve  stones  most  precious ; 
the  streets  of  it  are  pure  gold,  in  brilliancy  and 
purity  like  to  transparent  glass.  The  heavenly  city 
is  not  lighted  with  lamps  at  regular  distances  burn- 
ing along  its  streets  :  it  hath  no  need  of  the  sun, 
neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine  in  it ;  for  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  doth  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light 
thereof.    The  nations,  the  multitudes  who  are  saved, 


64  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

are  walking  in  the  light  of  it,  and  are  rejoicing  in 
the  splendors  of  a  day  to  which  no  night  comes. 
The  gates  of  heaven  are  never  shut ;  and  angel  3  are 
bringing  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  nations  into 
it. 

Angels  bear  Elijah  up  into  heaven,  when,  in  the 
form  of  horses  of  fire  and  of  a  chariot  of  fire,  they 
rise  with  him  in  the  whirlwind.  Angels  carry  Laza- 
rus up  from  the  rich  man's  gate,  and  place  him,  as 
the  nurse  places  the  child  in  its  mother's  arms,  in 
Abraham's  bosom.  Angels  are  around  Jesus  at  his 
ascension  in  countless  multitudes,  whilst  upon  the 
bosom  of  a  cloud  he  returns  to  the  bosom  of  the 
Father.  And  these  angels  at  the  gates  of  the  holy 
Jerusalem  welcome  their  companions  in  who  bear 
home  to  the  city  of  God  the  spirits  of  the  just  made 
perfect,  —  those  who  wash  their  robes,  and  who  make 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

When  heaven  is  called  a  city,  the  figure  reminds 
us  that  it  is  a  place  of  concourse,  in  which  many  are 
assembled.  London  is  a  large  and  crowded  city. 
Vast  multitudes  dwell  in  it,  and  throng  its  bustling 
streets  :  but,  in  the  number  of  its  citizens,  it  is  no 
more  to  be  compared  to  heaven  than  one  solitary 
grain  of  sand  lying  by  itself  upon  the  washed  rock 
of  the  beach  is  to  be  compared  to  the  beds  of  sand 
that  lie  along  all  the  seashores  of  earth ;  or  than 
one  ray  of  light  is  to  be  compared  with  the  whole 
encircling  ocean  of  sunbeams  that  stream  forth  from 


A  CITY.  M 

the  sun  in  every  direction,  and  penetrate  far  and 
wide  into  the  great  pavilion  of  space ;  or  than  one 
drop  of  dew  that  hangs  upon  the  point  of  the  bend- 
ing grass-blade,  and  shines  in  the  morning  light,  is  to 
be  compared  with  the  waters  of  the  earth. 

Who  can  take  the  census  of  the  angelic  hosts  that 
move  to  and  fro  through  these  golden  streets  ?  M  The 
chariots  of  God  are  twenty  thousand,  even  thousands 
of  angels."  "I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the  voice  of 
many  angels  round  about  the  throne  and  the  beasts 
and  the  elders ;  and  the  number  of  them  was  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands  of  thou- 
sands." 

Who  can  number  the  spirits  of  the  just  made 
perfect,  the  general  assembly  of  the  church  of  the 
first-born,  who  are  met  in  heaven?  "It  became 
Him,  for  whom  are  all  things  and  by  whom  are  all 
things,  in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make 
the  Captain  of  their  salvation  perfect  through  suffer- 
ings." "After  this  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  multi- 
tude, which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations 
and  kindreds  and  people  and  tongues,  stood  before 
the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white 
robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands  ;  and  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  saying,  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sit- 
teth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb." 


66  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

faith's  VIEW  OF  HEAVEN  FROM  THE  MOUNT 
OF  GLORY. 

The  angel  takes  the  Apostle  John  to  a  mount  of 
glory,  rearing  its  lofty  summits  to  the  east  of  the 
new  Jerusalem,  and  commanding  a  full  view  of  the 
holy  city,  spread  in  its  vastness  and  glory  and  popu- 
lousness,  as  it  were,  at  his  very  feet.  Place  your- 
self, in  imagination,  upon  the  top  of  that  mountain, 
beside  the  Apostle  John  and  his  angel-companion, 
and  with  them  look  down  upon  the  city  of  the  great 
Jong ;  and,  lo,  you  see  that  it  is  not  only  a  place  of 
concourse,  but  of  sweet  and  endearing  intercourse. 
There  is  the  clear  serene,  without  a  vapor ;  above 
and  around,  one  unsetting  sun;  for  the  Lord  God 
is  heaven's  sun.  No  cloud  ever  sails  across  to 
darken  that  firmament.  The  air  is  peaceful ;  or,  if 
it  move  at  all,  it  is  like  the  gentle  breathing  of  an 
infant  when  asleep  upon  its  mother's  breast.  The 
joyous  calm  of  heaven's  eternal  sabbath  spreads  its 
pure  and  holy  peace  over  its  whole  population.  And 
there  is  the  celestial  city  itself,  extending  far  and 
wide,  its  twelve  gates  standing  continually  open, 
through  which  the  weary  pilgrims  from  earth  pour 
incessantly  into  the  metropolis  of  the  universe ;  at 
these  gates,  twelve  angels,  whose  faces  are  turned 
towards  the  highways  by  which  the  children  of  God 
come  home  to  the  realms  of  rest,  intent  upon  the 
same  object  that  moved  Lot  at  the  gate  of  Sodom, 


A   CITY,  67 

when,  evening  after  evening,  he  watched  the  ap- 
proach of  strangers,  that  he  might  give  them  the 
welcome  and  the  shelter  of  his  home.  "  Who  is  this 
that  cometh  up  from  the  wilderness  leaning  upon  her 
beloved?"  Far  beneath  in  the  distance,  and  emer- 
ging from  the  clouds  of  earth  and  the  mists  of  time, 
there  appear  guides,  encircling,  in  her  upward  flight, 
one  of  the  daughters  of  God's  spiritual  Israel,  who 
has  just  died,  whose  ransomed  spirit  has  even  now 
struggled  free  from  its  connection  with  the  motionless 
body.  She  has  left  a  home  of  sorrow,  where  a  great 
change  has  just  taken  place.  A  bereaved  partner 
is  standing  in  it,  gazing,  with  a  heart  like  to  break, 
upon  the  changed  countenance  of  her  who  was  pre- 
viously so  dear  and  so  lovely  in  his  eyes.  A  new- 
born child  is  lying  asleep,  and  all  unconscious  that 
its  mother  has  left  it,  so  that  it  never  can  enjoy  a 
mother's  care.  That  child  of  God,  freed  from  the 
trammels  of  the  body,  parted  from  those  she  loved 
so  tenderly,  and  surrounded  by  her  companions, 
rises  higher  and  higher,  approaches  nearer  and  still 
nearer  to  the  city  of  the  living  God.  There  is  a  cry 
of  many  commingled  voices  rising  from  these  angels 
who  form  her  bridal  train,  and  are  conveying  that 
beloved  one,  who  has  long  been  betrothed  to  Christ, 
up  into  the  holy  city,  where  dwells  her  beloved. 
"Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates  !  even  lift  them  up, 
ye  everlasting  doors."  Lo,  the  angel  at  the  gate 
towards  which  these  rejoicing  guides  are  approaching 


68  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

goes  forth  to  meet  that  child  of  God,  and  to  welcome 
her  into  the  city  of  habitations. 

Yonder,  also,  you  observe  the  patriarchs  walking 
stately  and  slow  among  the  other  citizens  of  the  new 
Jerusalem.  You  can  distinguish  them  by  their  dig- 
nified and  majestic  mien,  as  they  move  among  their 
younger  brethren.  These  lived  long  ages  in  the 
world  below,  whilst  the  earth  was  yet  young :  they 
seemed,  whilst  there,  to  be  in  possession  of  something 
like  an  endless  and  unchanging  existence.  They  were 
the  oaks  of  earth  among  its  fading  flowers.  They 
have  lived  long  ages  since  they  rose,  "and  became  the 
citizens  of  heaven ;  and  they  are  yet,  as  they  ever 
will  be,  in  the  freshness  of  youth. 

You  behold  also,  not  far  off,  another  company, 
with  countenances  more  pensive  and  studious,  their 
eyes  piercing,  but  calm,  as  if  meditating  upon  sub- 
jects that  waft  their  thoughts  far  away  from  the 
scenery  around  them.  These  are  the  prophets  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  The  descending  irradiations  of  pro- 
phecy from  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  once  shone  upon 
their  souls,  and  illuminated  the  beclouded  evolutions 
of  the  dark  future.  They  were  gifted  with  a  faculty, 
whilst  down  upon  the  earth,  which  God  did  not 
bestow  upon  other  men,  — the  faculty  of  looking  for- 
ward, and  beholding  events  that  had  not  emerged 
and  risen  and  made  their  appearance  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  great  onflowing  river  of  Time.  They 
looked  not  back  like  the  historian,  as  he  reviews  and 


A    CITY.  69 

chronicles  the  events  of  the  bygone  ;  they  looked  not 
around  upon  society  to  form  portrait  characters : 
their  eyes  were  fixed  steadfastly  upon  the  regions  be- 
fore them ;  those  realms,  over  which,  to  the  eyes  of 
other  men,  impenetrable  clouds  rested, — the  dark- 
ness of  a  starless  night.  The  habits  of  mind  which  I 
these  children  of  God  contracted  upon  earth  have  j 
been  carried  up  with  them  to  heaven.  Grace  is  fast 
glory  in  the  bud.  These  prophets  of  the  Lord  still 
gaze  with  the  eye  of  a  calm  and  earnest  penetration 
upon  what  is  to  occur  in  the  regions  of  bliss.  Yea, 
the  book  they  read,  and  which  they  keep  incessantly 
spread  out  before  them,  is  the  book  of  eternity. 

Turn  your  eye  towards  the  throne  of  God.  You 
see  an  amphitheatre,  its  crescent  of  rainbow  hues 
stretching  in  front  more  than  half  way  round  about 
the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb.  There  are 
seats  of  honor  placed  there,  each  glittering  in  the 
uncreated  light  of  God's  presence,  as  if  formed  sepa- 
rately of  the  precious  stones,  multiplied  twelvefold, 
which  constitute  the  gates.  Seated  upon  these  are 
twenty-four  apparently  honored  citizens,  with  crowns 
of  glory  on  their  heads,  and  arrayed  in  robes  of 
white.  What  are  they  ?  Are  they  virgins  dressed 
for  a  marriage-party  ?  and  are  they  seated  there 
awaiting  the  approach  of  the  bride,  that  they  may 
form  in  the  bridal  train,  and  become  her  bride's-maids 
at  the  altar?  No  :  they  neither  marry  nor  are  given!; 
in  marriage  in  heaven.     Are  they  so  many  children 


70  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

in  their  innocence,  and  dressed  in  their  robes  of  white 
for  the  baptismal  font,  and  about  to  be  given  up  by 
their  parents  in  covenant  to  God,  to  be  baptized  by 
the  high  priest  ?  No  :  baptism  is  an  ordinance  that 
does  not  exist  here.  Are  they  new-come  saints  from 
earth,  who  have  lately  entered  heaven,  and  are  wait- 
ing that  they  may  be  crowned  by  the  Captain  of  their 
salvation,  before  all  the  assembled  hosts,  with  the 
crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away  ?  No  :  they 
are  crowned  already.  Upon  twelve  of  these  seats 
of  honor  are  enthroned  the  twelve  apostles  of  our 
Lord.  They  spent  a  life  of  toil  upon  earth.  They 
resembled,  whilst  down  in  the  world  below,  the  four 
living  creatures  that  you  see  above  them,  who  are 
full  of  eyes  before  and  behind,  and  who  rest  not  day 
nor  night,  crying,  "Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of 
hosts  :  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory."  These 
disciples  left  their  homes  and  their  friends  and  their 
native  land  in  the  cause  of  Christ.  They  faced 
cheerfully  persecution  and  fire  and  sword,  and  even 
death  itself,  whilst  carrying  the  banner  of  the  cross 
in  their  zealous  hands  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  But 
they  went  undismayed  as  the  ambassadors  of  Christ, 
for  it  was  the  King  of  Zion  and  the  Head  of  the 
Church  sent  them  forth  ;  and  they  perambulated  the 
world  as  the  messengers  of  the  gospel  of  peace, 
bringing  to  those  who  were  afar  off  from  God  the 
overtures  of  reconciliation.  As  the  heralds  of  the 
cross,  they  everywhere  proclaimed  that  God  in  Christ 


A    CITY.  71 

was,  in  covenant,  reconciled,  and  was  stretching 
forth  the  sceptre  of  mtrcy  to  every  member  of  the 
human  family  ;  "  waiting  to  be  gracious  ;  not  willing 
that  any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  turn  to 
him,  and  live."  Each  of  them  breathed  forth  these 
words  of  ardent  longing  in  the  execution  of  their 
evangelical  mission :  "  For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not 
hold  my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not 
rest,  until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as 
brightness,  and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a  lamp  that 
burnetii."  How  much  did  they  endure !  and  now 
you  see  what  has  followed  as  their  reward.  They 
gave  forth  the  laws  of  heaven,  for  the  regulation  of 
the  conduct  of  men,  whilst  they  remained  upon  earth  ; 
and  now  they  interpret,  for  the  guidance  of  the  citi- 
zens, the  will  of  Jehovah  for  ever.  On  the  other 
twelve  seats  are  enthroned  the  twelve  patriarchs,  in 
solemn  and  august  majesty,  as  if  they  were  the 
elders  of  the  celestial  Church. 

You  may  observe,  also,  a  large  company,  arrayed, 
like  the  others,  in  white,  and  whose  countenances 
seem  as  if  mantled  with  something  approaching  either 
to  the  lingering  remains  of  former  sorrow  that  has 
not  quite  passed  away,  or  to  the  remembrance  of  an 
anxiety  which  has  followed  them  up  even  to  rest. 
They  are  like  ships  which  have  suffered  by  fire  at 
sea,  but  have  managed  to  reach  the  harbor,  where 
they  have  got  repaired  and  improved,  but  yet  ^ex- 
hibiting  the  lingering  traces  of  former  disaster.    They 


72  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

are  at  rest,  like  weary  and  lately  benighted  pilgrims 
who  have  finished  a  long  journey,  and  have  reached 
their  home  with  difficulty.  Now  peacefully  reposing 
under  the  altar,  the  concave  of  heaven  is  ringing 
with  their  full-toned  and  melodious  praises  ;  and  yet 
they  appear  to  have  upon  their  faces  the  shadow  of 
disappointment  seated  in  the  midst  of  joy,  a  dim- 
ness resting  upon  the  face  of  transparency,  the  few 
spots  that  appear  upon  the  face  of  the  sun,  a  thin, 
fleecy  cloud  floating  upon  the  clear-blue  sky ;  and 
consistent  with  these  manifestations  is  the  song  which 
they  raise  :  "  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost 
thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth?"  These  are  the  holy  martyrs,  who 
sacrificed  their  lives  for  Christ's  kingdom  and  crown. 
They  sealed  their  testimony  with  their  blood,  for  they 
loved  not  their  lives  unto  the  death ;  and  over  them 
the  heavens  are  called  to  rejoice.  The  gate  through 
which  these  now  exalted  and  gladdened  ones  left  the 
world,  with  all  the  transactions  of  time,  and  entered 
into  that  pavilion  of  glory  where  they  now  sit,  and 
where  they  now  enjoy  freedom  from  pain,  and  ex- 
emption from  fire  and  sword  and  wild  beasts  and  the 
toiture  of  man,  was  a  gate  of  blood  and  of  pain. 
Through  much  tribulation  they  entered  the  kingdom. 
"  What  are  these  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  ? 
and  whence  came  they  ?  These  are  they  which  came 
out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes, 
and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 


A    CITY.  73 

Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God,  and 
serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple ;  and  He  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell  among  them."  How 
joyful  and  ecstatic  must  the  rest  of  heaven  be  to 
these,  when  they  compare  it  with  what  they  endured 
when  their  bodies  were  literally  roasting  in  the  flames, 
or  quivering  under  the  tooth  and  claw  of  ferocious 
animals,  or  scalded  to  death  in  the  boiling  caldron, 
or  choked  in  the  stagnant  pond  or  running  stream  ! 

The  chair  in  the  pilgrim's  home  is  comfortable  and 
soft,  when  he  enters  and  sits  down  upon  it,  after  the 
toils  of  his  fatiguing  and  exhausting  journey  are 
over.  The  calm  of  the  haven  is  refreshing  to  the 
mariner,  when  in  full  sail  he  enters  it,  and  casts 
anchor  there  in  safety,  and  leaves  far  behind  him  the 
storm  and  the  hidden  coral  reef,  the  mountainous 
waves  and  the  terrible  breakers  :  so  must  the  rest 
and  peace  of  heaven  have  been  sweet  and  overjoying 
to  these  holy  martyrs,  when  they  rose  from  their 
mangled  and  bleeding  bodies,  and  entered  upon  the 
enjoyment  of  God's  love  to  them,  by  the  efficacy  of 
Christ's  blood,  through  which  alone  they  have  ob- 
tained pardon  and  eternal  salvation. 

But  look  yet  again.  There,  too,  on  Mount  Sion, 
towering  in  its  grandeur  almost  to  a  level  with  the 
mount  upon  which  we  stand,  are  assembled  multi- 
tudes, so  young  and  so  fair  in  their  appearance. 
You  know  who  gave  this  inspired  description  of 
them:  "And  I  looked,  and,  lo,  a  Lamb  stood  on 

4 


74 


TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 


the  Mount  Sion,  and  with  him  an  hundred  forty  and 
four  thousand,  having  his  Father's  name  written  in 
their  foreheads.  And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven, 
as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  a 
great  thunder ;  and  I  heard  the  voice  of  harpers 
harping  with  their  harps ;  and  they  sung  as  it  were 
a  new  song  before  the  throne,  and  before  the  four 
beasts  and  the  elders ;  and  no  man  could  learn  that 
song  but  the  hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand 
which  were  redeemed  from  the  earth.  These  are 
they  which  were  not  denied  with  women ;  for  they 
are  virgins.  These  are  they  which  follow  the  Lamb 
whithersoever  he  goeth.  These  were  redeemed  from 
among  men,  being  the  first-fruits  unto  God  and  to 
the  Lamb.  And  in  their  mouth  was  found  no  guile  ; 
for  they  are  without  fault  before  the  throne  of  God. 
And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven, 
having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation  and 
kindred  and  tongue  and  people."  These  are  those 
who  died  in  the  world  whilst  they  were  yet  young. 
Over  them,  Jesus  said  to  their  parents,  when  reluc- 
tant to  give  them  up,  "  Suffer  little  children  to  come 
unto  me ;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Now  they  are  with  Jesus.  With  them,  the  less  of 
earth,  the  more  of  heaven ;  the  briefer  life,  the  ear- 
lier immortality.  How  joyful  and  comforting  would 
a  look  upon  these  beloved  ones  be  to  many  a  poor 
sorrowing  mother  still  upon  earth!  —  the  child  of 


A    CITY. 


75 


her  affections,  whom  she  saw  sicken  and  die,  like  a 
flower  in  the  bud  destroyed  by  the  early  frost,  now 
happy  among  these  immortal  companions  ! 

But  let  your  eye  wander  searchingly  over  these 
crowded  streets,  and  try  to  single  out  and  individual- 
ize those  happy  citizens  in  their  uniform  robes  of 
glory.  There  cannot  but  be  upon  some  countenance, 
among  all  these  that  are  looking  up  to  you,  the  smile 
and  recognition  of  former  friendship.  Near  to  the 
fountain  of  life  there  is  a  once  dear  and  tender 
mother.  How  different  that  glorified  being  from 
that  which  I  looked  upon  lying  cold  and  ghastly  in 
her  home  of  sorrow  !  The  Jordan  of  death  is  rolling 
its  dark  and  deep  swellings  far  away  in  the  distance 
from  her  now ;  and  with  what  ecstasy  I  meet  again 
the  smile  of  that  countenance  which  was  once  to 
me  as  the  light  of  the  morning !  By  her  side  are 
friends  talking  with  her  in  the  language  of  heaven, — 
a  sister,  who  left  us  in  the  dawn  of  life,  and  forsook 
our  home  upon  earth  to  enter  this  home  of  love ; 
another  is  a  father,  who  left  us  in  more  mature  years 
to  enter  this  glad  heaven ;  and  now  these  saints  of 
the  Most  High,  who  were  lovely  in  their  lives,  whom 
death  parted  for  a  season,  have  met  in  this  world  of 
life,  never  to  be  parted  again. 

There  are  others  among  the  fair  citizens,  other 
members  of  our  family,  who  are  there  in  the  great 
world ;  and  others,  also,  who  were  once  my  com- 
panions and  neighbors  and  friends.      Farewell  all, 


76 


TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 


for  a  season,  beloved  ones !  My  time  is  not  yet 
come,  but  soon  my  God  will  call  me  home.  Then  I 
will  rise  from  my  bed  of  death,  where  I  will,  I  hope, 
fall  asleep  in  Jesus,  as  you  have  done  before  me, 
and  then  join  you  for  eternity  in  this  peopled  heaven 
of  yours.  I  will  then  dwell  with  you  for  ever  be- 
neath the  overshadowing  of  God's  presence ;  walk 
with  you  under  the  light  of  yon  great  Sun  that  never 
sets  ;  and  talk  with  you  in  your  own  language  about 
the  glories  and  the  joys  of  the  new  Jerusalem,  and 
the  past  scenes  and  associations  and  recollections  of 
earth. 


CHAPTEE  V. 


TYPES   OF   HEAVEN. A   HOME. 


F  all  the  types  through  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
speaks  to  us  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  about 
heaven,  there  is  not  one  that  exhibits  it  in 
such  an  endearing  aspect,  and  which  instantaneously 
awakens  in  our  souls  such  a  flood  of  tender  and  of 
hallowed  associations,  going  so  warmly  and  touch- 
ingly  at  once  to  our  heart,  as  when  he  tells  us,  not 
merely  once,  but  in  many  a  varied  description,  that 
heaven  is  a  home,  in  which  there  is  assembled  already 
a  great  and  glorious  and  happy  family,  and  in  which 
we,  who  are  the  children  of  God,  are  to  spend  with 
them  innumerable  ages. 

It  is  not  one  type  alone,  but  the  various  figures  of 
the  Scriptures  combined,  that  give  us  the  truest  view 
of  heaven.  This  is  the  reason  that  has  led  me  to 
dwell  for  a  little,  as  I  have  done,  upon  the  earthly 
similitudes, — Eden,  Canaan,  a  temple,  a  city.    I  now 

mi 


78  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

proceed  to  a  more  particular  consideration  of  the 
type,  heaven  our  home. 

Those  who  are  in  heaven  are  often  spoken  of  in  the 
Scriptures  as  constituting  but  one  family  ;  and,  in  all 
such  passages,  it  is  implied  that  heaven  is  a  home.  The 
house  in  which  the  members  of  a  family  live  and  as- 
sociate, whether  the  palace,  the  hall,  or  the  cottage, 
is  their  home.  Heaven,  again,  is  expressly  called 
the  "house  of  God"  "our  Father's  house"  A  child's 
father's  house  is  its  home.  Our  Father's  house  is  to 
be  our  eternal  home  who  are  the  children  of  God. 
"We  have  a  building  of  God,  an  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  "In  my  Fa- 
ther's house  are  many  mansions  :  if  it  were  not  so,  I 
would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you.  And,  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I 
will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that 
where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also."  "  Surely,  good- 
ness and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the  days  of  my 
life ;  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for 
ever." 

The  great  universe  is  the  house  of  God,  — which  he 
more  than  fills  ;  for  he  made  it,  and  the  Creator  must 
be  greater  than  the  creature,  — in  which  he  walks  in 
his  majesty  to  and  fro,  and  in  every  part  of  which  he 
manifests,  by  the  works  of  his  hands  and  the  evolu- 
tions of  his  providence,  his  awful  presence.  The 
earth,  the  Church,  every  believer's  soul,  is  the  house 
of  God,  in  which  he  now  reigns  in  grace  and  through 


A   HOME. 


79 


grace.  Heaven  is  the  home  of  the  sanctified,  where 
his  scattered  children  are  all  at  last  to  meet,  and  in 
which  they  are  to  dwell  together  in  love  for  ever. 

The  word  "  home  "  awakens  in  the  bosom  of  every 
individual  many  tender  and  hallowed  and  dearly-loved 
associations.  You,  to  whom  I  now  speak  through 
these  pages,  may  not  be  at  home  just  now.  You  may 
be  a  sailor,  in  the  midst  of  strangers,  and  tossed  far 
away  upon  the  rolling  billows ;  or  you  may  be  a 
soldier,  bivouacking  in  an  enemy's  country,  and  ex- 
posed to  all  the  perils  and  deprivations  and  fatigues 
of  war  ;  or  you  may  be  a  traveller,  at  a  great  distance 
from  that  home  which  is  so  dear  to  your  soul :  but 
you  have  a  home  awaiting  your  return  in  your  native 
land.  Your  parents  are  there,  and  often  speak  about 
you  to  their  friends  and  neighbors,  and  take  a  pleasure 
in  showing  the  letters  to  them  that  you  statedly  send. 
Or  if  they  are  both  dead,  and  are  sleeping  together  in 
the  family  grave,  and  there  be  no  dwelling  now  upon 
earth  to  which  you  can  give  the  name,  "  my  home," 
you  had  a  home  once.  In  the  days  of  your  youth,  you 
lived  with  your  parents  there ;  shared  the  smile  of 
your  mother ;  partook  of  the  kind  attentions  of  your 
father  ;  and  played,  a  light-hearted  and  reckless  boy, 
or  romped,  a  warm-hearted  girl,  with  your  brothers 
and  sisters.  The  word  "  home  "  has  with  you  around 
it  now  the  tender  and  hallowed  and  never-to-be-for- 
gotten associations  of  the  past ;  and  to  you  surely 
the  announcement  must  be  a  comforting  one,  that 


80  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

you  have  a  home  still,  if  a  believer  in  Jesus ;  and 
that  home  is  heaven. 

Do  I  address  myself  to  some  of  you  who  are 
parents,  watching  with  affectionate  care  over  your 
children,  who  are  growing  up  before  you  in  wisdom 
and  in  stature,  and  with  increasing  love  to  God,  to 
each  other,  and  to  you  ?  You  are  looking  hopefully 
upon  their  minds  becoming  brighter  and  brighter  in 
the  knowledge  and  in  the  ways  of  God,  like  the 
morning  light,  the  increasing  splendor  of  the  rising 
sun.  You  are  contemplating  with  emotions  of  plea- 
sure their  quiet,  kindly,  loving  walk  with  each  other 
in  the  journey  of  life,  and  feel  your  heart  glad  at 
witnessing  the  reciprocation  of  these  amiable  feelings. 
Surely,  whilst  in  the  midst  of  such  enjoyment,  and 
whilst  watching  hopefully  over  your  immortal  charge, 
you  must  feel  a  comfort  in  the  thought,  that,  if  be- 
lievers in  Christ  Jesus,  you  the  parents  and  your 
dear  children  will  yet  constitute  a  portion  of  God's 
great  family ;  for  you  have  a  home  of  love  that  is 
already  prepared  for  you.  Death  will  part  you  sooner 
or  later  ;  but  you  can  even  now  say  to  your  children, 
in  the  anticipation  of  leaving  them,  and  of  entering 
heaven  before  them,  what  Jesus  said  to  his  sorrowing 
disciples,  "I  will  see  you  again,"  up  in  our  Father's 
home,  "  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice." 

Or  it  may  be  that  you  are  brothers  and  sisters, 
dwelling  together  in  love,  and  experiencing,  under 
the  smile  of  your  heavenly  Father,  the  outgoings  of 


A   HOME. 


81 


the  dawn  and  the  twilight  rejoicing  over  TC)t^%  Witff 
glad  and  lightsome  hearts,  you  lie  doAvrival"mgnt 
under  the  guardianship  and  watchful  eye  of  the  great 
Shepherd  of  Israel,  and  rise  in  the  morning,  and  take' 
your  seat  day  after  day  at  the  family  table,  enjoying 
the  affectionate  care,  the  heavenly  conversation,  and 
the  holy  example,  of  your  parents.  You  feel  that 
your  present  home  is  every  thing  to  you.  It  is  Eden, 
with  its  sunshine,  and  its  roses  clustering  around  the 
door,  and  hanging  in  graceful  tendrils  from  every 
window  ;  its  birds  of  song  upon  the  wing,  carolling  so 
gladsomely  over  your  heads.  It  is  a  bower  of  bliss 
in  -the  midst  of  a  desert  of  sorrow ;  the  retreat  of  all 
that  makes  life  happy ;  where  Love  has  set  up  her 
throne,  and  reigns  supremely  over  all  the  social  and 
Christian  affections  of  your  souls.  It  is  the  sheltered 
tranquillity  of  the  haven,  where  the  sailor  upon  the 
voyage  of  life  casts  anchor,  and  feels  secure  from  the 
rolling  billows  and  the  fearful  hurricanes  that  are 
raging  in  their  fury  on  the  outside  and  far  away  in  the 
distance.  It  is  Noah's  ark  of  peace  and  protection  to 
the  dove  in  the  midst  of  the  world's  encircling  deluge. 
You  feel  secure  in  the  inside  ;  for  the  Lord  in  love  has 
shut  the  door,  and  you  are  under  his  covenant  protec- 
tion, whilst  the  great  world  around  is  the  wide  waste 
of  cold  waters.  Your  home  is,  in  this  case,  the 
image,  the  symbol,  the  panorama,  of  heaven. 

Or  it  may  be  that  you  are  confined  to  your  sick- 
chamber,  and  are  now  laid  down  upon  your  bed  of 

4* 


82  TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 

death.  Your  head  is  pressing  in  much  pain  your 
uneasy  pillow ;  your  heart  and  flesh  are  beginning  to 
faint  and  to  fail ;  you  feel  that  you  have  not  long 
to  live  ;  your  friends  are  gathered  around  your  dying 
bed,  looking  upon  you  with  that  earnest,  shrinking 
glance,  and  with  that  distressing  gaze,  which  give 
evidence,  that,  in  their  opinion,  you  will  soon,  very 
soon,  bid  them  adieu.  The  rising  sun  is  just  begin- 
ning to  pour  his  brightening  beams  into  your  sorrow- 
ful dwelling,  shadowing  forth  to  your  friends  around 
you  the  morning  of  a  glorious  eternity,  that  is  burst- 
ing out  with  its  flood  of  light  upon  your  waning  eye. 
You  shake  hands  with  your  weeping  relatives,  who 
are  at  your  bedside,  .like  an  individual  setting  out 
upon  a  long  journey,  or  embarking  in  an  emigrant 
vessel ;  and  you  bid  them  an  affectionate  farewell. 
You  have  taken  the  last  look  of  the  home  you  are 
about  to  leave,  and  of  the  well-known,  dear,  but  sor- 
rowful faces  that  are  around  you  ;  your  spirit  is 
struggling  to  be  free ;  angels  are  hovering  over  you 
in  their  sympathy  and  love,  waiting  till  the  last  spasm 
with  you  is  over,  that  they  may  conduct  you  in  tri- 
umph to  the  realms  of  life,  to  the  brightness  of  eter- 
nal day.  Is  your  name  enrolled  in  the  Book  of  Life  ? 
Are  you  a  child  of  God?  How  comforting  to  you,  in 
your  present  circumstances,  is  the  knowledge  that  heaven 
is  your  home !  Death  to  you  will  thus  merely  take 
you  out  of  one  home,  that  it  may  usher  you  into  an- 
other.    You  can  leave  and  go  out  from  your  weeping 


A   HOME.  83 

friends  with  the  full  and  gladdening  assurance,  that 
you  are  not  departing  to  be  a  homeless  wanderer  for 
eternity.  Your  disembodied  and  living  spirit  is  not 
to  traverse  for  ever  the  wide  and  boundless  universe 
of  God  in  search  of  a  home,  and  find  it  all  dark  and 
empty  and  unpeopled,  and  discover  no  refuge  for 
eternity  in  any  part  of  it  that  will  open  its  friendly 
door  and  admit  you  to  its  rest.  You  have  a  home  for 
eternity  in  heaven  ;  and,  at  the  very  moment  of  your 
dissolution,  you  can  look  up  in  joyful  hope,  and  ex- 
ultingly  exclaim,  "  For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered, 
and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have 
fought  a  good  fight ;  I  have  finished  my  course ;  I 
have  kept  the  faith  :  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for 
me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day  ;  and  not 
to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  his 
appearing."  Nay,  more  :  death  is  thus  to  you  not 
simply  a  passage  out  of  one  home,  that  you  may  rise 
and  enter  another :  it  is  a  passage  from  the  midst  of 
the  warm,  loving  bosoms  of  the  present  members  of 
your  family,  who  are  dear  to  you,  up  into  heaven,  to 
become  associated  for  eternity  with  the  warmer  and 
more  loving  bosoms  of  God's  great  family,  who  are 
waiting  for  you  to  join  their  happy  number  with 
songs  of  unspeakable  joy. 

Again  :  a  home  is  the  abode  of  love,  or  rather 
should  be  so  ;  the  place  of  union  and  of  peace  and 
of  holy  brotherhood.     In  this  it  is  the  very  image  of 


84  TYPES    OF  HEAVEN. 

heaven.  Around  the  very  word  "  home  what  holy 
and  sacred  associations  cluster  and  hang  !  what  young, 
joyous,  and  refreshing  thoughts  !  what  hallowed  ima- 
ginings !  What  soul-gladdening,  cherished  remem- 
brances hover  around  that  word  !  In  what  heart  does 
it  not  awaken  these  emotions  ?  Yes  :  it  does  this 
even  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  have  disgraced  their 
home  by  their  misconduct.  Amid  their  scenes  of 
vice  and  of  misery,  they  have  fond  recollections  of  it ; 
even  as  our  first  parents  still  had^  loving  and  holy 
associations  hovering  around  Eden,  after  being  driven 
out  of  it. 

We  have  not  far  to  look  for  some  young  woman, 
who,  like  a  withered  flower,  rudely  plucked  by  the 
hand  of  the  seducer  from  the  stem  upon  which  it  had 
bloomed,  is  now  heartlessly  flung  out  of  her  domestic 
bower,  a  scandal  to  Christianity,  a  disgrace  to  her 
sex,  and  the  source  of  misery  and  wretchedness  to 
herself  and  to  others.  She  is  wandering  among 
strangers,  far  from  her  parents'  home,  dwelling  now 
in  the  haunts  of  sin ;  but,  oh  !  even  yet,  the  holy 
remembrances  of  the  not  far-distant  past,  like  the  light- 
ning at  night,  bringing  the  dark  thunder-clouds  more 
frowningly  into  view,  flicker  across  the  darkness  of 
her  present  sinful  path,  and  fill  her  bosom  with  feel- 
ings and  emotions  of  the  bitterest  remorse.  Reflec- 
tion'sleeps,  it  is  true,  and  is  too  often  drowned  in  the 
laugh  of  her  guilty  companions  who  are  around  her, 
in  the  hilarity  of  the  licentious  song,  in  the  cup  of 


A  .HOME.  85 

intoxication  which  she  now  presses  to  her  lips.  Memo- 
ry, however,  sometimes,  in  an  hour  of  calm  reflection, 
brings  back,  flashing  full  upon  her  view,  the  scenes 
of  innocency,  of  love,  of  holiness,  and  of  joy,  that 
were  around  her  in  her  girlhood,  but  which  have 
passed  away  from  her  like  her  days  of  former  purity. 
These  reflections  leave  her  heart  lone  and  desolated, 
torn,  bleeding,  and  dark.  And  what  is  her  history? 
That  young  woman,  who  now  walks  with  an  appa- 
rently unblushing  brow  in  the  paths  of  sin,  was  once 
a  virtuous,  timid,  and  shrinking  creature,  the  prayer- 
fully-tended opening  rose  of  her  parents'  home.  The 
morning  dew  of  her  innocent  youth  sparkled  upon 
the  leaves,  and  made  her  shine  in  all  the  beauties  of 
at  least  an  external  morality  and  an  outward  purity. 
She  grew  up  from  infancy  to  girlhood,  gradually  ex- 
panded in  her  beauty,  and  passed  at  last  into  the  full 
bloom  of  womanhood,  "  with  the  rose  upon  her  cheek 
and  the  lily  upon  her  brow,  and  the  fragrance  of  the 
hawthorn  in  her  breath,  and  the  blended  light  of 
heaven  in  her  smile ;  the  idol  of  her  mother,  and 
the  pride  of  her  father." 

The  old  story  :  A  young  man  in  the  neighborhood, 
attracted  by  her  beauty,  began  to  pay  to  her  his  ad- 
dresses, with  apparently  honorable  intentions.  Their 
acquaintanceship  ripened  into  friendship,  their  friend- 
ship into  love,  on  her  part ;  on  his,  into  something 
else.  Visit  after  visit,  that  pretended  lover  endeavored 
to  undermine  her  principles  of  virtue  by  speaking  to 


86 


TYPES    OF  HEAVEN. 


her  about  how  other  young  women  had  acted  previous 
to  their  marriage  with  their  present  husbands  ;  and 
he  succeeded  in  producing  in  her  bosom  a  feeling  of 
decreasing  horror  at  the  thought  of  sin ;  and  he  led 
her,  step  by  step,  to  assume  a  hollow  trust  and  a  false 
confidence  in  him,  by  telling  her  that  he  would  save 
both  her  feelings  and  her  character  by  an  honorable 
marriage, — a  promise  he  never  meant  to  fulfil.  That 
young  man  —  who  has  a  mother,  too,  and  she  is  of 
the  same  sex  as  his  victim  —  cruelly,  heartlessly, 
diabolically  seduced  at  last,  in  an  unthinking  and 
thoughtless  and  terrible  hour,  that  fair  and  credulous 
girl ;  and,  oh,  the  bitter  fruit  of  sin  !  In  an  agony 
of  shame  and  remorse,  she  slips,  with  her  heart  like 
to  break,  away  from  her  parents'  presence,  and  from 
the  hallowed  precincts  of  her  youthful,  perhaps  rural, 
home  ;  and  now  she  has  become,  in  the  crowded  city, 
a  withered  leaf,  tossed  upon  the  ocean  of  crime. 
Ah !  as  that  now  ruined  and  miserable  creature 
creeps  into  her  wretched  dwelling, — which  is  not 
her  home ;  she  is  there  merely  as  a  lodger,  retained 
for  the  horrid  gains  of  iniquity  she  brings  to  the 
owner,  —  she  feels  that  that  retreat  of  degradation 
and  shame  is  not  her  home  :  the  peace  and  the  joys  of 
home  never  visit  her  there.  Go  to  her,  even  in  that 
place.  Be  an  ambassador  of  Christ  to  her.  Speak 
to  her,  in  the  words  of  love  and  of  earnest  entreaty, 
about  the  ruin  she  has  brought  upon  herself,  and 
about  the  shame  and  pain  which  her  conduct  has  flung 


A   HOME.  87 

upon  her  distressed  and  sorrowing  parents,  upon  her 
blushing  sisters  and  affronted  brothers,  who  mourn 
over  her  in  their  home  of  sorrow,  and  still  see  what 
she  was  once  in  every  rose  that  blows  during  the 
summer  in  their  little  cottage  garden,  and  hear  the 
music  of  her  voice,  during  her  youth,  in  the  song  of 
the  lark  that  sings  so  sweetly  in  the  sky  above  them 
in  their  sorrow,  and  who  are  longing  for,  and  yet 
fearing,  her  return.  Tell  her  that  she  has  a  home 
still ;  that  her  mother  and  father  are  in  it ;  that  they 
still  have  warm  hearts  beating  glowingly  towards  her, 
and  that  they  would  receive  their  poor  ruined  and 
wretched  daughter.  At  the  mention  of  the  word 
"home,"  you  might  see  how  her  dim  and  callous  eye 
kindles  and  flashes  ;  how  her  face,  sad  with  the  clouds 
of  sorrow  upon  it,  brightens  up ;  how  her  heart 
heaves,  and  she  bursts  into  tears.  Yes,  that  word 
"  home  "  has  a  charm  which  softens  even  the  hardest 
heart,  revives  holy  associations,  and  awakens  a  longing 
desire  to  return  to  it  in  the  bosom  of  the  very  guilti- 
est wanderer. 

What  effect,  then,  should  be  produced  upon  you, 
who  have  wandered  from  God  in  a  life  of  ungodliness 
and  guilt,  by  the  assurance  that  in  him  you  have  a 
Father  who  is  looking  down  upon  you  in  love,  wait- 
ing to  be  gracious,  beckoning  you  to  return,  and 
telling  you  that  in  heaven  you  have  a  home,  the  door 
of  which  is  ever  standing  open  for  you  to  enter  ?  Do 
you  not  feel,  at  the  thought  of  that  home  which  God 


88 


TYPES   OF  HEAVEN. 


has  provided  for  you,  that  In  your  life  of  grace,  and 
preparation  for  eternity,  you  have  something  worth 
living  for,  nay,   something  worth  dying  for  ? 

Take  another  picture.  A  young  man  is  about  to 
be  married  to  one  who  has  long  been  the  object  of  his 
affections ;  who,  with  a  warm,  confiding,  and  virtu- 
ous heart,  reciprocates  his  love.  He  has  already 
prepared  the  home,  to  which,  with  his  attending 
friends,  he  is  about  to  conduct  his  blushing  bride,  — 
as  Adam  conducted  Eve  to  the  nuptial  bower,  when 
he  received  her  in  all  her  beauty  and  innocence  from 
the  hand  of  the  Lord,  — where,  for  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  he  is  to  live  with  her,  and  where  he  will  feel 
in  her  presence  a  new  sun  risen  in  the  firmament  of 
his  happiness.  That  home  which  he  is  soon  to  enter 
in  these  circumstances,  and  in  which  he  is  to  spend 
life  with  her  who  is  all  fair  in  his  eyes,  and  every  way 
worthy  of  his  love,  is  every  thing  to  him ;  and  he 
longs  to  be  there. 

Such  is  your  position  who  are  believers  in  Jesus, 
and  the  children  of  the  living  God.  Christ,  your 
beloved,  the  spiritual  bridegroom  of  your  souls,  has 
gone  up  into  yon  glorious  eternity  that  is  above  you. 
He  is  even  now  preparing  and  making  ready  heaven 
for  you,  to  be  your  home  of  rest  and  joy  for  ever, 
in  which  you  will  spend  a  glad  and  an  endless  eter- 
nity. You  are  now  looking  up  with  this  longing 
desire  for  an  entrance  into  yon  home.  "  I  have  a  de- 
sire to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  bet- 


A   HOME. 


89 


ter."  And  that  longing  will  soon  receive  a  glad  and 
eternal  realization.  The  day  of  the  solemnization  of 
your  spiritual  espousals  with  Jesus  is  drawing  near. 
Then  He  who  is  "  fairer  than  the  children  of  men,  the 
chiefest  among  ten  thousand,  and  altogether  lovely," 
will  come  forth  at  your  death  to  take  you  up,  escort 
ed  by  a  great  company  of  attending  angels,  that 
where  he  is,  there  ye  may  be  also.  You  can  even 
now  look  up  to  heaven  with  the  same  feeling  that 
enlivens  the  bride  as  she  looks  to  her  new  home,  to 
which  she  is  soon  to  be  conveyed :  it  is  your  future 
and  eternal  mansion  of  love. 


>^.<^.^.^.^^<^.^<^.<^.<^.<^^.<fc.<^A4> 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN. 

EAVEN  is  not  a  home  —  empty,  deserted, 
and  lonely  —  like  what  many  of  the  homes 
around  us  in  the  world  become  through  the 
influences  of  time  and  of  disease.  "  Time  does  not 
breathe  on  its  fadeless  bloom : "  there  is  in  it  "  no 
more  death,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  neither  shall 
there  be  any  more  pain ;  for  the  former  things  are 
passed  away." 

A  glorious  family  is  already  met  there,  where  a 
Father  is  presiding  in  love.  There  is  upon  his  coun- 
tenance neither  the  scowl  of  the  despot  nor  the  frown 
of  the  cold  and  unfeeling  judge.  The  smile  upon  his 
countenance  bears  evidence  that  he  is  not  a  severe 
and  exacting  master  merely,  but  the  Father  of  mer- 
cies, and  the  God  of  all  comfort.  There  is  the  love 
of  a  Father  in  his  look  as  he  turns  his  eye  down- 
wards, and  condescendingly  listens  to  the  song  which 

£90] 


THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN,  91 

the  countless  assemblies  present  to  him,  as  with  one 
heart  and  one  voice  they  proclaim,  "  Salvation  to  our 
God  which  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the 
Lamb."  There  is  the  benignity  of  a  Father  upon  his 
brow  as  he  contemplates  his  great  family  rejoicing 
round  about  him,  and  feeling  in  their  bosoms  the 
flowing  tides,  the  ever-running  streams,  of  an  exceed- 
ingly great  joy ;  the  affection  of  a  Father  in  his 
bosom,  that  ever  glows  with  benevolence  towards  all 
the  members  of  his  family ;  the  welcome  of  a  Father 
in  the  outstretched  arms  of  his  endearment,  whilst 
he  beckons  his  children  to  approach  him,  that  they 
may  speak  to  him  individually,  and  hold  personal 
converse  with  him,  as  a  loving  child  upon  earth  does 
with  an  affectionate  parent  in  their  home  of  love. 
There  is  the  emotional  tenderness  and  the  love-tones 
of  a  Father  in  his  voice,  whilst  conversing  personally 
with  all  who  stand  round  about  the  throne  of  his 
sovereignty. 

The  Lord  Jesus  is  upon  the  throne  with  God,  thi 
brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person.  He  is  the  elder  Brother  of 
heaven's  great  family.  As  the  souls  of  the  just  made 
perfect  reflect  the  image  of  Jesus,  Jesus  himself 
reflects  the  image  of  the  great  Father  of  lights.  He 
is  not  there  lifted  high  and  apart,  and  far  removed 
from  the  feelings  and  sympathies  that  are  pervading 
the  bosoms  of  those  who  are  round  the  throne  :  he 
is,  on  the  contrary,  mingling  with  them  in  the  utmost 


92  THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN. 

condescension  and  fraternity  and  holy  familiarity. 
He  is  acting  towards  all  his  brethren  in  the  heavens 
I  the  part  of  an  attentive  and  affectionate  elder  brother 
towards  a  younger  sister;  watching  over  them  in 
love,  taking  them  by  the  right  hand,  bearing  them 
upon  his  arm.  He  is  feeding  them,  and  leading 
them  to  living  fountains  of  waters,  wiping  away  all 
tears  from  their  eyes. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  fountain  of  life,  and  is  the 
source  of  undying  love,  —  the  wellspring  of  immor- 
tal joys  in  the  bosom  of  every  member  of  the  great 
family.  He  is  the  Breath  from  the  four  winds  of 
heaven,  descending  in  living  currents  upon  all  its 
inhabitants,  enabling  them,  with  the  full  and  ever- 
gushing  aspirations  of  gladdened  hearts,  to  pour 
forth,  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  their  anthems 
of  adoration  and  praise.  He  is  the  Fire  from  off 
heaven's  high  and  holy  altar,  which  glows  so  intense- 
ly and  so  unquenchably  in  the  bosom  of  every  child 
of  God. 

Angels  compose  a  part  of  that  great  family.  I 
cannot  tell  their  number ;  nor  do  I  believe  their  num- 
ber could  be  set  before  the  human  family  in  the 
arithmetic  of  earth.  I  cannot  describe  their  glory 
nor  portray  their  beauty.  The  splendor  of  Gabriel's 
countenance  was  so  great,  that,  when  the  Prophet 
Daniel — a  man  greatly  beloved  —  looked  upon  it, 
he  could  not  stand  upright,  and  gaze,  but  fell  with 
his  face  upon  the  ground.     The  angel  that  came 


THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN.  93 

down  from  heaven  to  roll  away  the  stone  from  the 
door  of  Christ's  sepulchre  is  thus  described :  "  His 
countenance  was  like  lightning,  and  his  raiment 
white  as  snow."  The  angel  who  appeared  to  the 
shepherds  by  night  upon  the  plains  of  Bethlehem,  to 
announce  the  advent  of  Jesus  to  earth,  was  so  shining, 
that  his  presence  filled  the  plains  with  light.  In  this 
splendor  and  beauty  of  countenance  and  form,  the 
whole  angels  of  heaven  —  God's  first-born  children 
—  stand  and  sing  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  give 
glory  to  Him  who  was,  and  who  is,  and  who  is  to  come, 
I  cannot  tell  whether  angels,  who  are  the  morning- 
stars  of  eternity  and  the  sons  of  God,  differ  in  the 
traits  of  their  features,  and  the  glow  of  their  counte- 
nances, as  females  do.  When  a  painter  wishes  to 
draw  the  portrait  of  an  angel,  he  forms  the  image  of 
a  beautiful  woman,  and  then  simply  adds  to  her  a 
pair  of  wings.  This  shows  his  inability  to  compre- 
hend an  angel's  beauty.  The  Bible  does  not  describe 
whether  there  exist  these  differences.  We  must 
enter  heaven  before  we  can  know.  But  I  can  learn 
from  the  Bible,  that  angels  differ  in  rank  in  the  scale 
of  dignity  and  honor  which  God  has  appointed  them 
to  occupy  in  heaven  ;  for,  besides  the  angels,  there  is 
(he  archangel,  also  principalities,  powers,  cherubim, 
seraphim.  We  never  read  of  angels  feeling  envy 
towards  those  who  are  in  a  higher  position  in  the 
scale  of  promotion  ;  and  they  mingle  familiarly  with 
the  saints. 


94 


THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN. 


The  redeemed  who  have  returned  and  come  to  the 
heavenly  Zion  —  the  whole  glorified  members  of  the 
human  race  —  compose  another  portion  of  the  family 
now  assembled  in  heaven  as  their  home  of  love.  I 
have  already  referred  to  the  fact,  that  the  number  of 
the  redeemed  must  be  very  great ;  so  great,  that  they 
are  beyond  calculation.  That  this  may  be  easily 
conceived,  we  have  only  to  remember  what  is  the 
number  of  believers  in  a  home  compared  with  the 
children  of  God  who  live  in  all  the  different  places 
of  a  parish  ;  what  is  the  number  in  a  parish  compared 
to  those  living  in  all  the  different  parishes  of  Scot- 
land ;  and,  by  thus  continuing  our  comparison,  we 
come  to  the  contrast  between  the  number  who  are 
living  at  present  in  the  world  and  all  the  children  of 
God  who  have  lived  and  died,  and  gone  up  into 
heaven,  during  the  near  six  thousand  years  which 
have  rolled  over  the  world. 

I  cannot  describe  in  adequate  language  the  appear- 
ance of  these  redeemed  ones.  We  must  be  contented 
with  the  consideration,  that  they  now  bear  the  image 
of  Jesus,  whilst  he  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God, 
the  perfection  of  beauty :  which  is  more  than  the 
concentration  of  all  that  is  fair  in  this  world ;  for  fai 
short  are  the  things  of  earth  compared  with  those  of 
heaven. 

Angels  who  have  kept  their  first  estate,  the  re- 
deemed who  have  come  out  of  every  nation  and  kin- 
dred and  people  and  tongue,  and  have  met  together, 


THE   FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN.  95 

make  up  the  family  of  God  ;  and  they  constitute  but 
one  family.  They  are  watched  over  and  loved  by  the 
same  Father.  They  are  ministered  to  and  guided 
and  instructed  by  the  same  Saviour,  their  Lord  and 
Master,  their  new-covenant  Head,  the  universally 
Beloved  of  them  all.  They  are  gladdened  and  re- 
freshed by  the  life-giving  breathings,  by  the  sweet 
and  comforting  influences,  of  the  same  Holy  Spirit. 
They  are  the  happy  inmates  of  the  same  home  of  love. 
They  walk  together  through  the  garden  of  the  Lord, 
or  sit  together  in  its  roseate  bowers.  They  travel,  in 
larger  or  smaller  groups,  the  valleys  that  are  stretch- 
ing around.  They  sing,  as  the  united  and  affectionate 
members  of  the  same  family,  heaven's  song  of  praise. 
Their  voices  rise  and  mingle  in  one  harmonious  stream 
of  melody  to  Him  who  is  upon  the  throne.  Heaven, 
in  short,  is  their  home;  and  it  is  a  habitation  of  peace 
and  love. 

Again  :  as,  in  the  members  of  a  family  upon  earth, 
there  is  a  family  likeness,  apparent  in  the  midst  of 
peculiar  and  individualizing  traits,  of  features,  com- 
plexion, and  form ;  so  is  there  a  family  likeness 
existing  among  all  the  members  of  the  family  of  God, 
both  in  heaven  and  upon  earth.  Love  to  God,  to 
Jesus,  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  to  all  the  members,  is 
one  feature.  I  address  myself  to  you  who  are  the 
children  of  God  by  profession,  and  followers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Have  you,  I  ask,  this  feature  in  your 
moral  image?     Do  you  love   God?      Have  you  the 


96  THE  FAMILY   IN  HEAVEN. 

love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  your  hearts  .by  the  Holy 
Ghost  which  is  given  unto  you  ?  Were  Jesus  at  this 
moment  to  speak  to  you  from  the  throne  of  heaven, 
to  break  the  silence  of  eternity,  and  to  put  the  ques- 
tion to  you  which  he  once  did  to  the  Apostle  Peter, 
"  Lovest  thou  me  ?  "  could  you  look  up  to  him  whose 
eyes  are  as  a  flame  of  fire ;  who  searches  Jerusalem 
even  as  with  lighted  candles ;  who  penetrates  the 
hearts,  and  who  tries  the  reins  of  the  children  of 
men?  and  could  you  say,  "Lord,  thou  knowest  all 
things  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee  "  ?  Do  you 
love  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  has  kindled  his  own  love- 
breathings  in  your  soul,  as  one  fire  kindles  another, 
or  as  one  candle  lights  another?  Allow  me,  then,  to 
ask  you  this  question :  How  does  the  love  of  God 
in  your  soul  manifest  its  presence?  Is  it  a  mere 
kindly,  inactive,  and  inoperative  glow,  only  showing 
itself  in  words,  and  never  flowing  forth  in  a  stream 
of  warm,  active,  beneficent  deeds? 

You  may  come  to  be  able  to  answer  by  studying 
the  nature  of  some  earthly  love  ;  say,  of  one  of  Eve's 
daughters,  who  responds  to  your  affection,  and  from 
whose  eyes  come  those  demonstrations  of  pure  feel- 
ing which  fall  warm  and  glowing  upon  your  heart. 
You  will  quickly  perceive  that  your  affection  to  her 
is  an  active  principle,  and  instinctively  leading  you 
to  love  all  connected  with  her.  You  love  the  home 
where  she  dwells ;  and,  some  way  or  another,  you 
never  feel  happier  than  when  your  footsteps  are  upon 


THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN.  97 

the  path  that  leads  you  to  it.  You  love  her  parents, 
who  with  fond  parental  affection  are  watching  over 
her.  You  love  the  brothers  and  sisters  who  smile 
upon  her.  You  love  to  be  in  their  company,  even 
when  she  is  not  present ;  for  they  speak  to  you  about 
her :  their  very  voices  are  pleasant  to  you,  because 
they  sound,  not  so  musical  and  sweet,  but  something 
like  hers.  The  letter  which  she  has  written  with  her 
own  hand,  and  which  she  has  sent  to  you,  describing, 
with  a  shrinking  and  timid  caution,  the  feelings  of 
esteem  she  bears  towards  you,  has  a  charm  in  it. 
The  shady  walk,  along  which  she  wanders  alone,  and 
reads  apart  from  the  world  the  letters  you  send  her, 
giving  full  expression  to  the  warmth  of  your  honora- 
ble affection,  carries  the  same  secret  virtue.  Above 
all,  you  love  to  be  in  her  company,  to  see  her  smile, 
to  hear  her  voice,  and  to  feel  your  heart  delighted  in 
the  sunshine  of  her  presence. 

Have  you  this  evidence  that  the  love  of  God  is  in 
your  bosom,  —  that  you  possess  this  trait  of  the 
family  likeness  of  God's  children  ?  Do  you  not  only 
love  God,  but  all  connected  with  him?  Do  you  love 
the  Lord's  Day  ?  During  its  hallowed  calm,  when 
the  din  of  labor  is  hushed,  and  you  are  set  free  from 
the  distractions,  pursuits,  and  pleasures  of  earth, — 
during  the  sabbath's  sweet  and  hallowed  hours,  do 
you  feel  upon  your  spirit  a  holy  calm  and  a  peaceful 
elevation,  as  if  heaven  was  descending  upon  you 
with  its  ineffable  rest,  and  its  fervor  of  kindling  and 

5 


98 


THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN. 


intense  desire  after  God  ?  Whilst  its  holy  and  peace- 
ful hours  are  passing  over  you,  are  they  to  you  a 
foretaste  of  those  joys  that  are  at  God's  right  hand, 
and  of  those  pleasures  that  shall  endure  for  ever- 
more ? 

Do  you  love  the  Lord's  house,  and  long  to  be  in  the 
church,  that  you  may  meet  with  Jesus  there,  sit 
under  his  shadow,  listen  to  his  voice  speaking  to  you 
in  that  of  his  ministering  servant  —  the  man  of  God 
who  occupies  the  pulpit  —  who  is  an  ambassador  for 
Christ  to  you,  and  in  his  name  beseeches  you  to  be 
reconciled  to  God?  Whilst  wending  your  way 
peacefully  and  meditatively  towards  the  gates  of 
Zion,  do  not  these  words  give  expression  to  your 
holy,  heavenly,  breathing  desires?  —  "How  amiable 
are  thy  tabernacles,  O  Lord  of  hosts  !  My  soul  long- 
eth,  yea,  even  fainteth,  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord  ;  my 
heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God." 
"  Oh,  send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth  :  let  them  lead 
me ;  let  them  bring  me  unto  thy  holy  hill  and  to  thy 
tabernacles.  Then  will  I  go  unto  the  altar  of  God, 
unto  God  my  exceeding  joy ;  yea,  upon  the  harp 
will  I  praise  thee,  O  God,  my  God.  Why  art  thou 
cast  down,  O  my  soul?  and  why  art  thou  disquieted 
within  me  ?  Hope  in  God  ;  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him, 
who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance  and  my  God." 
Oh,  yes  !  it  is  necessary  that  you  experience  the  same 
glow  of  affection,  the  same  elevation  of  thought  and 
of  contemplation,  the    same    kindling  warmth   and 


THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN.  99 

celestial  fervor,  the  same  buoyancy  and  alacrity  and 
exultation  of  spirit,  whilst  joining  God's  worship  in 
his  house  of  prayer,  that  his  glorified  children  feel 
in  heaven,  when  their  voices  rise  and  commingle  and 
swell  upwards  and  upwards  in  the  temple  of  glory 
above.  This  fervor  and  joy  in  God's  worship  is  a 
distinguishing  feature  in  the  family  likeness  of  all  his 
children. 

Do  you  love  the  Lord's  Word?  Do  you  love  it 
because  it  is  the  gift  of  God  to  you,  the  revelation 
of  his  holy  will  as  David  did,  who  thus  speaks  of 
it? — w  Oh,  how  love  I  thy  law  !  it  is  my  meditation 
all  the  day."  "  Thy  word  is  very  pure  ;  therefore  thy 
servant  loveth  it ;  "  "  sweeter  also  than  honey  and 
the  honeycomb."  Do  you  read  the  Bible  with  the 
same  feelings  of  kindling  delight,  and  with  the  same 
awakening  associations  of  pleasure,  with  which  the 
lover  reads  over  and  over  the  letter  which  he  receives1 
from  the  mistress  of  his  heart  ?  And  do  you  go  to 
the  Bible  daily  as  the  hungry  man  repairs  to  his 
•meal,  as  the  weary  and  thirsty  traveller  turns  aside 
to  the  spring  of  cooling  and  refreshing  waters  which 
he  meets  at  the  side  of  his  path?  Is  God's  Word 
your  salvation,  your  desire,  the  man  of  your  counsel, 
the  guide  of  your  life  ?  Do  you  follow  its  leadings 
as  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness  followed  the  pillar 
of  cloud  by  day  and  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night,  that 
you  may  learn  from  it  the  path  in  which  you  are  to 
walk  that  you  may  reach  your  Father's  home  ?     Do 


100  THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN. 

you  keep  your  eye  upon  the  Bible  with  the  same 
anxiety  and  care  that  the  mariner  looks  upon  the 
pointings  of  his  compass,  whilst  afloat  upon  the 
bosom  of  the  ocean?  It  appears  that  even  God's 
children  in  heaven  delight  to  observe  God's  Word : 
"And  I  John  saw  these  things,  and  heard  them ; 
and,  when  I  had  heard  and  seen,  I  fell  down  to  wor- 
ship before  the  feet  of  the  angel  which  showed  me 
these  things.  Then  saith  he  unto  me,  See  thou  do  it 
not ;  for  I  am  thy  fellow-servant,  and  of  thy  brethren 
the  prophets,  and  of  them  which  keep  the  sayings  of 
this  book  :  worship  God."  This  clinging  of  the  soul 
to  Holy  Writ,  and  holy  longing  after  its  sweet  and 
heavenly  revelations,  is  another  trait  in  the  family 
likeness  of  God's  children,  both  in  heaven  and  upon 
earth.  It  is  to  be  hoped  you  possess  this  feature  of 
the  child  of  God ;  that  you  feel  a  holy  delight  whilst 
listening  to  the  tones  of  your  heavenly  Father's  voice 
speaking  to  you  in  its  inspired  vocables,  and  whilst 
perusing  its  high  and  heavenly  revelations. 

Do  you  love  tlie'LoroVs  people, — all  who  bear  the 
image  of  Jesus,  whose  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God? 
If  you  have  love  for  the  father  of  a  little  child,  you 
love  that  child  for  its  father's  sake.  This  sympathy 
of  love  is  a  universal  law,  not  confined  to  man,  but 
extending  to  the  higher  creation.  So  should  you 
love,  then,  the  children  of  God  for  their  Father's 
sake.  This  love  to  the  brethren  is  the  very  founda- 
tion of  what  is  termed  the  communion  of  saints. 


THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN.  101 

Attraction  exists  among  all  material  bodies,  —  the 
communion  of  saints  among  all  the  children  of  God. 
There  exists  among  all  material  bodies  the  principle  of 
attraction:  so,  too,  there  exists  among  all  the  chil- 
dren of  God  —  if  not  counteracted  and  neutralized 
by  sin  —  a  breathing,  longing  desire  after  fellowship 
and  communion  with  each  other.  This  communion  of 
saints  is  not  confined  to  the  children  of  God  upon 
earth :  it  exists  also  among  those  who  are  home  in 
heaven,  who  are  standing  before  the  throne  of 
God,  who  see  each  other's  countenances  in  the 
light  of  a  glorious  eternity,  and  who  speak  to  each 
other  in  the  language  that  God's  children  use  in 
heaven. 

What  is  implied  in  the  communion  of  saints,  as  it 
exists  among  the  members  of  God's  family  ?  If  you 
look  at  the  intercourse  which  the  members  of  an  affec- 
tionate family  enjoy  with  each  other  in  their  parents' 
home,  you  will  see  in  it  the  symbol  and  visible  repre- 
sentation of  the  intercourse  and  fellowship  that  are 
even  now  existing  among  the  members  of  God's 
household. 

Happily,  we  have  all  experiences  of  home,  —  the 
continuous  affection  of  the  members  to  each  other, 
their  converse,  the  nameless  little  attentions  which 
affection  prompts  them  to  perform,  all  independent 
of  the  mercenary  motive  of  obtaining  a  reward.  The 
history  of  a  family  is  a  history  of  our  affections  :  how 
these  are  gratified  by  the  quiet  walk  in  each  other's 


102  THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN. 

company ;  the  talk  about  the  heavens  declaring  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showing  forth  his 
handiwork ;  how  full  the  earth  is  of  God's  good- 
ness ;  how  they  are  naturally  led  to  look  up  in  hope, 
and  to  think  and  speak  about  heaven  as  their  eternal 
home,  where  their  heavenly  Father  is  waiting  to  re- 
ceive them ;  how  they  are  to  meet  when  the  journey 
of  life  with  each  of  them  is  finished  upon  earth ;  and 
how  they  are  to  spend  their  eternity  in  their  heavenly 
Father's  home  of  love.  Then,  where  there  is  a  sepa- 
ration during  the  day  or  for  a  longer  period,  how 
fondly  you  find  the  members,  when  they  meet  again, 
speaking  to  each  other  about  the  past,  and  about  all 
that  has  happened  to  them  in  the  providence  of  God 
since  they  parted ! 

This,  I  believe,  is  taking  place  among  the  mem- 
bers of  God's  great  family  in  the  heavens.  They 
dwell  together  in  their  Father's  home.  They  speak 
with  each  other  in  the  language  of  heaven.  Their 
communion  and  fellowship  is  with  God,  and  with  his 
Son  Jesus  Christ.  They  have  intercourse  also  with 
each  other.  They  have  their  fellowship-walks  of  holy 
friendship,  during  which  they  will  speak  to  each  other 
of  all  God's  dealings  with  them  in  preparing  them 
for  home ;  will  naturally* refer  to  the  past  journey 
of  life,  and  to  what  happened  to  them  by  the  way 
along  which  their  heavenly  Father  led  them,  and  at 
last  conferred  upon  them  the  unspeakable  blessing  of 
meeting,  and  living  together  for  ever. 


THE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN.  103 

Perhaps  the  telescope,  upon  earth,  is  a  mere  ap- 
proximation to  the  power  of  vision  which  God's  glori- 
fied children  possess.  They  may  scan  the  heavens, 
and  gaze  not  merely  upon  what  is  existing  before 
them  and  around  them,  but  look  also  everywhere 
onwards  upon  the  great  universe,  and  talk  togethei 
of  what  they  see ;  and  who  shall  try  to  follow  that 
vision,  even  in  imagination?  This  will  lead  them  to 
speak  with  each  other,  not  merely  about  the  evolu- 
tions of  God's  providence  in  the  past,  but  also  about 
all  that  they  behold  going  on  around  them,  both  in 
heaven  and  throughout  the  boundless  universe  of 
God. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


COMMUNION   OF   SAINTS   IN   HEAVEN. 


might 


T  has  often  occurred  to  me  that  we 
particularize  these  fellowships  and  conver- 
sations in  heaven,  not  only  without  being 
exposed  to  the  charge  of  presumption,  but  with  mani- 
fest advantage.  Image,  then,  with  me,  my  reader, 
yon  venerable-looking  pair  at  the  very  verge  of  the 
valley  which  stretches  far  away  in  its  verdant  beauty, 
and  is  bounded  by  a  pure  river,  whose  waters  are 
flowing  as  smoothly,  fully,  and  calmly  as  if  Peace 
herself  had  there  established  her  reign.  They  are 
walking  alone,  and  loitering,  with  placid  contempla- 
tion, among  gorgeous  amaranths.  These  are  Adam 
and  Eve.     They  have  been  long  in  heaven,   long 

(associated  there,  not  as  husband  and  wife,  — many  of 
the  relationships  that  existed  upon  earth  are  not 
needed  in  heaven,  and  thus  no  longer  exist  there,  — 
but  in  the  higher  and  holier  affinities  of  that  love 
[104] 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.        105 

and  praise  enjoyed  by  the  angels.  They  have  long 
held  sweet  intercourse  together.  For  more  than  five 
thousand  years,  they  have  walked  to  and  fro  among  its 
gardens  and  palaces ;  but  do  not  suppose  that  their 
vision  is  yet  blunted,  their  hearts  weary,  or  their 
affections  waned.  Among  other  subjects,  they  are 
doubtless  speaking  about  the  terrible  loss  which  they 
and  the  whole  of  their  posterity  sustained  through 
the  fall,  and  how  much  they  were  to  blame  for  the 
guilt  of  that  black  act.  They  are  talking  about 
the  cunning  of  the  old  Serpent  when  he  planned  the 
temptation  for  Eve,  and  the  wily  way  in  which  he 
made  his  approaches  along  the  avenues  that  led  to  the 
citadel  of  a  holy  and  unsuspicious  heart.  They  are 
discoursing  of  the  great  mystery  of  redeeming  love, — 
how  God,  who  brings  light  out  of  darkness,  order 
out  of  confusion,  and  life  out  of  death,  so  overruled, 
in  wisdom  and  in  love,  their  fall,  as  to  give  through 
it  the  human  family  to  occupy  a  higher  place  in  the 
scale  of  existence  than  they  enjoyed  before ;  for  he 
gave  up  his  only-begotten  and  well-beloved  Son,  to 
assume,  and  thus  to  exalt,  the  nature  of  fallen  humani- 
ty :  so  that  man,  who  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels,  is  actually,  through  the  fall,  raised  above 
them,  and  placed  upon  the  right  hand  of  the  throne, 
in  the  person  of  Jesus. 

'  The  subject  leads  them  to  the  success  of  Christ's 
great  undertaking,  the  while  they  are  gazing  around 
them  upon  the  numberless  assemblies  of  their  posteri- 


106         COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

ty.  In  these  great  crowds,  they  have  the  evidence 
that  their  Redeemer's  death  has  not  been  in  vain ;  for 
they  are,  with  gladdened  eyes  and  rejoicing  hearts, 
looking  upon  the  millions  of  millions  who  have  been 
saved  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  been  ushered  into 
heaven  to  praise  him  there  for  their  salvation.  The 
expression  of  delight  upon  the  countenances  of  these 
our  first  parents  is  proof  that  they  feel  no  ordinary 
emotion  of  gratitude  to  God,  whilst  they  hold  this 
sweet  intercourse  in  the  fellowship  of  heaven,  and 
speak  of  the  fallen  race ;  for,  far  as  their  joyful  eye 
can  reach,  they  see  their  children's  children,  even  one 
hundred  and  sixty  generations,  at  last  rejoicing  before 
them, — a  great  revenue  of  souls  gathered  by  Christ 
into  the  exchequer  of  heaven. 

Realizing  still  further  this  view,  you  may  hear  these 
two  venerable  fountains,  from  which  the  great  stream 
of  the  human  family  is  still  flowing,  and  will  continue 
to  flow  till  the  river  is  lost  in  the  ocean  of  glory, 
giving  expression  to  two  anxious  wishes.  The  first 
is,  that  their  posterity  who  are  yet  upon  earth  could 
see  the  great  and  eternal  reward  which  God  has  pro- 
vided in  the  heavens  for  all  who  believe  in  Jesus  upon 
earth ;  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  might  thus 
be  led  to  live  under  the  influence  of  these  great  reali- 
ties, and  under  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come 
that,  whilst  in  the  world,  they  would  live  above  it,  ana 
make  their  whole  life  upon  earth  a  season  of  earnest 
and  unwearied  preparation  for  the  world  above.     The 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.        107 

second,  that  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  Jesua 
were  spread  in  its  light  and  liberty  and  power  over 
the  whole  earth,  and  that  the  Sun  of  righteousness 
were  risen  upon  all  the  dark  and  benighted  lands  of 
heathenism  that  are  still  the  habitations  of  cruelty  and 
superstition.  Nor  is  it  possible  but  that  Adam  and 
Eve  must  look  down  from  their  seats  in  the  skies, 
and  walks  of  bliss,  upon  these  nations  of  earth,  in 
their  sin  and  degradation,  with  the  same  feeling 
that  pious  and  affectionate  parents  look  upon  their 
once-innocent  children,  now  become  the  inmates  of 
a  prison,  or  the  occupants  of  still  more  infamous 
abodes. 

Image  again,  and  picture,  those  two  seemingly 
much-attached  saints,  arrayed  in  white,  with  crowns 
upon  their  heads,  and  sitting  in  that  recess  where 
never-fading  flowers  cluster  so  thickly  over  it  and 
around  it  as  to  form  a  holy  retreat,  and  scene  of 
seclusion.  There,  where  love  breathes  over  the 
scene,  and  has  established  a  throne  in  each  of  their 
hearts,  they  discourse  of  the  past,  and  chiefly  of  the 
leading  events  of  their  lives  previous  to  the  time  when 
they  rose  at  their  death,  and  met  each  other  for  eter- 
nity. These  are  Jacob  and  Rachel.  First  as  cousins, 
in  the  endearments  of  a  holy  friendship,  and  then  in 
the  nearer  and  dearer  relationship  of  husband  and 
wife,  they  were  lovely  in  their  lives,  whilst  down  in 
their  home  upon  earth.  So,  in  their  eternity,  they 
are  not  divided.      They  have  met  in  heaven,   and 


108         COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

have  met  never  to  part  again.  -  They  are  sitting  far 
retired  from  the  congregated  assemblies,  and  are  en- 
gaged, it  may  be,  in  such  discourse  as  this. 

Jacob's  mind  is  upon  the  past,  whilst  he  says,  "O 
Rachel !  the  ways  of  God  with  his  people  in  the 
world  are  truly  wonderful,  and  often  mysterious. 
Yea,  when  I  look  back  upon  my  own  earthly  life,  I  see 
in  its  varying  events  a  vivid  manifestation,  that,  whilst 
the  Lord  reigns  in  love,  his  way  with  his  people  is 
often  in  the  sea,  his  footsteps  in  the  deep  waters, 
and  his  paths  not  known.  How  hoveringly  do  clouds 
and  darkness  hang  over  and  around  his  dealings  with 
his  chosen !  Do  I  not  recollect  with  what  anguish 
of  heart  I  left  my  dearly-beloved  mother,  Rebekah? 
and  how  the  frequently  mysterious  and  dark  dispensa- 
tions of  his  providence  led  us,  and  brought  us  at  last 
to  meet  in  this  world  of  eternal  love  ?  I  did  what 
was  wrong  in  stealing  my  brother's  birthright,  and  in 
deceiving  my  father  by  telling  him  the  he.  God 
punished  me  for  my  sin  by  stirring  up  against  me  the 
wrath  of  my  justly  offended  brother.  By  my  mother's 
advice,  I  left  the  home  of  my  youth  to  go  to  your 
father's  for  a  season,  until  my  brother's  wrath  should 
pass  away.  I  acted  upon  my  mother's  counsel,  and 
left  my  parents.  I  did  so  with  a  heavy  heart  and 
sorrowful  spirit.  I  had  merely  my  staff,  in  my  hand. 
It  was  on  a  bright  summer's  morning  I  left,  before 
my  brother  Esau  had  risen,  and  whilst  my  father  was 
yet  asleep.      The  birds  were  singing  over  my  head 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.  109 

as  gladly  and  cheerily  as  yonder  myriads  are  now 
praising  God.  The  sun  was  risen,  and  was  looking 
out  upon  our  home  as  joyful  and  glad  as  if  he  did  not 
see  one  sorrowful  heart.  The  streams  were  playing 
on  in  their  courses,  and  glittering  beneath  the  beams 
of  the  morning  sun,  utterly  unmindful  of  our  sorrow, 
and  the  lambs  were  gambolling  round  about  us,  when 
my  mother  came  with  me  a  short  distance  out  from 
our  dwelling,  shook  me  by  the  hand,  and,  bursting 
into  tears,  commended  me  to  the  keeping  and  gui- 
dance of  my  covenant  God,  the  great  Shepherd  of 
Israel,  whose  eye  slumbers  not  nor  sleeps.  Every 
thing  around  me  and  my  weeping  mother  was  glad, 
and  exulting  in  the  sunshine  of  the  morning ;  but  our 
poor  hearts  were  sorrowful  and  sad  at  the  thought  of 
separation.  I  shook  hands  with  her,  turned  from  her 
in  tears,  and  entered  upon  the  desolate  path  that  was 
to  lead  me  onwards  towards  your  father's.  I  reached 
Bethel  just  as  the  sun  was  going  down.  I  felt  ex- 
hausted and  tired.  I  took  some  of  the  stones,  and 
placed  thereon  my  weary  head,  without  any  fear  at  the 
loneliness  of  my  situation  :  for  I  knew  that  God  was 
everywhere  present ;  that  he  would  encircle  me  in 
his  covenant  embrace,  watch  over  me  in  love,  defend 
me  from  all  harm.  I  fell  into  a  sweet  sleep,  during 
which  I  had  a  heavenly  vision, — a  ladder  not  far  from 
me,  standing  upon  the  earth,  with  its  top  reaching  to 
heaven.  I  saw  the  angels  of  God.  I  recognized 
those  who  were  my  visitors  there,  very  soon  after  I 


110         COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

entered  into  heaven,  ascending  and  descending  upon 
it.  I  saw  the  vision  of  the  Almighty,  and  heard  the 
voice  of  the  great  God  speaking  to  me  out  of  this  very 
heaven  in  which  we  are  now  met,  and  giving  me  the 
covenant  promise  of  the  land  upon  which  I  was  lying, 
and  intimating  to  me  that  my  posterity  was  to  be  very 
great.  In  the  morning,  I  rose,  and  left  that  place 
with  the  commingled  feelings  of  gladness  and  of  holy 
awe.  Pursuing  the  path  that  led  me  to  your  father's, 
I  remember  well  how  my  heart  danced  with  joy  when  I 
first  saw  you,  and  met  you  at  the  well ;  for  you  were 
fair  and  lovely  in  my  view  as  an  angel  of  God.  The 
fourteen  years  I  served  your  father  appeared  to  me 
merely  like  a  few  weeks,  on  account  of  the  love  that 
I  bore  you.  When  we  were  joined  in  the  endearing 
relationship  of  husband  and  wife,  I  felt  as  if  a  new 
sun  had  risen  upon  the  world ;  yea,  in  the  light  of 
your  countenance  I  experienced  a  new  life  there. 
True,  I  felt  distressed  at  your  subsequent  discontent, 
because  of  your  having  no  children.  Nay,  your  fret- 
fulness  on  this  account  was  natural ;  for  it  expressed 
the  deepest  and  strongest  instinct  of  the  female  heart : 
and  I  now  feel  that  I  was  to  blame  in  being  some- 
times so  angry  with  you  as  I  was,  whilst  giving 
expression  to  so  natural  a  feeling. 

"Oh,  how  little  can  people  down  in  the  world  tell 
what  things  are  really  for  their  good,  and  what  things 
are  really  for  their  evil !  My  life  upon  earth  gives  a 
vivid  illustration  of  this.     I  thought  that  a  more  un- 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.        HI 

fortunate  occurrence  could  not  have  happened  to  me, 
than  to  be  forced  to  leave  my  mother  and  my  father's 
house,  and  to  be  cast  out  a  poor  wanderer  upon  a 
desolate  world.  But,  had  this  not  taken  place,  I 
would  never  have  met  with  you.  We  would  never 
have  been  associated  together  in  the  relation  in  which 
we  mice  stood  to  each  other,  and  I  would  not  at  this 
moment  feel  that  heaven  is,  if  possible,  dearer  to  me 
because  I  am  privileged  to  share  its  joys  in  company 
with  my  beloved  Rachel. 

"Your  life,  Rachel,  upon  earth,  also  gives  a  very 
striking  illustration  how  little  God's  people  can  tell 
what  is  for  their  good,  andL  what  is  for  their  evil ; 
and,  consequently,  it  would  be  well  if  they  were  to 
look  more  than  they  do  to  the  leadings  of  God's  pro- 
vidence with  them,  and  were  to  trust  more  to  the 
wisdom  of  his  holy  appointments  with  them,  than 
they  feel  generally  inclined  to  do.  Still  you  wept 
and  fretted  your  life  away  because  God,  in  his 
holy  providence,  denied  you  children.  God  at  last 
granted  your  wish.  What  then?  Why,  the  very 
thing  you  so  ardently  desired  became  the  means  of 
your  death,  parted  you  and  me  for  a  season,  and  left 
our  dear  little  Benjamin  without  the  care  and  love 
and  unwearied  attentions  of  a  beloved  mother.  Oh  ! 
I  recollect  well  the  anguish  I  felt  when  forced  to  flee 
with  you  and  with  the  rest  of  our  family  from  your 
father's,  and  how  much  my  distress  was  increased 
when  you  were  overtaken  in  labor  by  the  way.     Sad 


112 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 


and  dark  and  dreary  was  our  sorrowful  separation. 
I  felt  as  if  the  sun  had  left  the  sky,  when  I  saw  the 
light  of  your  earthly  existence  go  down,  and  as  if 
the  firmament  had  become  a  mourning  pall  to  encir- 
cle the  earth.  But  the  night  of  our  former  sorrowful 
separation  has  now  passed  away.  The  glad  and 
bright  morning  of  a  never-ending  day  has  succeeded 
to  it.  Now  we  can  look  back  upon  our  earthly 
troubles  and  trials,  as  our  descendants,  when  settled 
in  Palestine,  looked  back  upon  the  bondage  of  Egypt, 
and  upon  the  hardships  and  privations  of  the  wilder- 
ness ;  yea,  as  the  mariner,  who  casts  anchor  in  the 
peaceful  haven  of  his  own  dear  native  land,  looks 
back  upon  the  stormy  ocean  which  he  has  left  far  in 
the  distance  behind  him." 

Rachel  reciprocates  :  "  Oh  !  I  recollect  well  how 
painful  our  separation  was  to  me  when  I  was  so  un- 
expectedly parted  from  you,  whilst  we  were  on  our 
way  to  the  home  of  your  youth.  I  remember  well 
what  a  lonely  feeling  and  desolate  emotion  spread 
over  my  soul,  when  I  felt  my  heart  and  my  flesh 
beginning  to  faint  and  to  fail ;  when  I  looked,  in  my 
state  of  feeble  exhaustion,  upon  the  lovely  face  of 
our  new-born  babe,  and  wept  at  the  thought  that  I 
was  so  soon  to  be  taken  from  you  and  from  him, 
and  that  our  little  darling  was,  alas  !  so  soon  to 
be  deprived  of  all  the  kindly  but  nameless  attentions 
of  a  mother's  love.  What  a  crush  came  down  upon 
my  heart,  what  a  blight  descended  upon  my  earthly 


COMMUNION   OF   SAINTS  IN   HEAVEN.  113 

prospects,  when  I  heard  your  voice  beside  me,  and 
speaking  to  me  in  tones  of  love  !  But  my  fading 
and  glazing  eyes  no  longer  beheld  you.  I  heard  our 
dear  little  babe  breathing  softly  and  sweetly  upon 
the  nurse's  knee  beside  me.  I  asked  him  to  be 
brought  to  me.  I  clasped  him  to  my  sinking  bosom, 
and  involuntarily  looked  down  upon  him  to  take  my 
last  parting  view  of  him ;  but  his  little  face  was  all 
enshrouded  in  darkness  !  I  no  longer  saw  it.  Oh  the 
reviving  effect  which  it  had  upon  my  soul,  whilst 
the  dear  ones  in  our  home,  and  all  the  visible  ob- 
jects of  earth,  had  become  invisible  to  my  benighted 
eyes  ;  when  I  was  struggling  to  get  free  from  the 
body,  and  saw  the  bright  and  glorious  morning  of 
eternity  beginning  to  break  upon  me ;  the  great 
world  of  glory,  that  had  previously  been  hidden  from 
my  view,  coming,  in  all  its  splendor  as  it  were,  near 
to  me,  and  when  it  flashed  in  all  its  loveliness  full 
upon  my  gaze !  Oh  the  delighted  emotion  that 
thrilled  through  my  redeemed  spirit,  even  whilst  I 
was  looking  blindly  upon  you  in  your  tears,  and  upon 
my  little  unconscious  Benjamin,  sleeping  so  peace- 
fully, upon  Joseph  catching  my  almost  lifeless  hand, 
as  if  by  that  grasp  he  would  keep  me  from  going 
away  !  I  took  my  seat  in  the  chariot  of  salvation, 
whilst  a  company  of  rejoicing  angels  were  around 
me  to  bear  me  up  to  my  Father's  home.  Oh  those 
ecstatic  moments,  when,  hanging  over  that  home  in 
which  I  had  left  you  in  tears,   and  over  the  earth, 


114        COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

which  was  already  far  beneath  me,  I  looked  down,  and 
saw  you  standing  at  our  tent-door,  with  your  hand 
placed  upon  your  brow,  gazing  down  upon  the 
ground  in  speechless  agony  and  silent  meditation  over 
your  loss  !  Yea,  at  the  sight  of  you  in  that  position, 
whilst  the  body  I  had  left  was  lying  behind  you  in  the 
tent,  a  momentary  feeling  of  sadness  thrilled  through 
my  soul.  It  lasted  only  for  a  moment ;  for  suddenly 
I  heard  the  roll  of  the  voices  of  the  redeemed  begin 
to  fall  upon  my  ear.  My  soul  was  full  of  rejoicings  ; 
for  I  knew  that  I  was  now  near  to  my  Father's  home. 
But  what  was  all  this  to  the  feelings  that  streamed 
through  my  spirit  when  I  first  entered  the  world  of 
glory,  was  introduced  into  this  heaven  of  love,  stood 
within  the  veil  that  separates  eternity  from  the  sor- 
rows of  time,  and  beheld  all  those  scenes  that  are  so 
bright  around  us  burst  upon  my  view?  But  even 
that  —  what  was  it  to  the  rapture  of  first  beholding 
God  ?  I  had  often  listened  to  you  speaking  about 
the  God  of  Israel ;  but  how  diiferent  the  unveiled 
reality  from  all  that  poor  mortals  can  conceive  of  it 
while  the  spirit  is  yet  in  the  body  ! 

"I  became  familiar  with  the  scenes  of  heaven.  I 
felt  no  impatience ;  for  all  here  is  holy  resignation 
to  our  Father's  will :  but  a  feeling  of  ardor  reigned 
in  my  soul,  that  you  were  come  home  to  share  these 
joys  with  me,  to  walk  with  me  through  these  plains, 
to  climb  with  me  these  hills,  to  perambulate  with  me 
these  paths  that  converge  towards  the  throne  of  God, 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN   HEAVEN.  115 

and  to  join  with  me,  and  with  all  the  throngs  of 
heaven,  in  raising  high  the  song  of  praise  to  Him  who 
is  the  centre  of  all. 

"  And  when  it  was  announced  here,  that  a  com- 
pany of  angels,  by  God's  appointment,  had  left  these 
courts  for  earth  to  bring  you  home,  and  after  the 
angels  had  left,  how  elevated  beyond  the  aspirations 
of  earth  the  thought  that  I  was  so  soon  to  see  you 
again  !  How  ineffable  the  start  of  holy  joy  when 
the  cry  was  raised,  that  Jacob  was  coming,  and  was 
already  near  !  When  you  entered  heaven,  encircled 
and  escorted  by  the  multitude  of  angels ;  when  you 
took  your  place  for  a  little  near  to  the  throne,  and 
was  crowned  by  Jesus  with  that  glorious  diadem  that 
now  gleams  upon  your  brow,  — how  the  whole  recol- 
lections of  the  past  rushed  upon  my  soul ! 

"  How  refreshing  to  my  spirit  the  account  you  gave 
me  of  our  family ;  of  my  once  dearly-beloved  sons, 
Joseph  and  Benjamin,  as  they  affectionately  wept  over 
your  dying  bed,  and  tenderly  kissed  your  brow,  and 
pressed  your  feeble  hand  !  Ah  !  heaven  was  sweet  to 
me  before  you  came  ;  but  it  is,  if  possible,  more  joyful 
to  me  now ;  for  we  can  not  only  enjoy,  but  recipro- 
cate :  and  we  have  now  the  glad  proof,  that  our 
remembrance  here  of  our  trials  and  sorrows  upon 
earth,  so  far  from  lessening  our  happiness,  is  one  of 
the  chief  elements  that  will  enhance  it  through  eter- 
nity." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

COMMUNION  OF   SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN   (continued). 

HE  train  of  fancy  in  which  I  have  been  in- 
dulging—  so  consonant  to  our  aspirations, 
so  enchanting  to  our  hopes,  and  yet  not 
adverse  to  our  reason,  if  not  to  a  great  extent  favored 
by  it  —  may  be  continued  through  other  pictures. 
Take  David,  the  sweet  psalmist  of  Israel,  and  Jona- 
than, who  loved  him  as  his  own  soul,  and  cannot  be 
parted  from  him  in  heaven.  They  discourse  together 
of  the  clouds  and  darkness  that  hang  in  the  view  of 
men  upon  earth,  and  make  inscrutable  there  the  ways 
of  God's  providence. 

"How  dark  and  perplexing,"  may  David  now 
serenely  say,  "many  of  my  heavenly  Father's  dispen- 
sations and  actings  appeared  towards  me  in  the  world 
we  have  left !  God  lifted  me  up,  I  often  thought, 
just  that  he  might  cast  me  down  again.  In  the 
midst  of  the  changing  vicissitudes  of  my  life,  I  was 
Tile] 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.  117 

sometimes  led  to  wonder  if  the  great  God,  who  walks 
in  providence  and  deals  out  to  his  people  their  por- 
tion, was  capricious  and  fickle.  I  now  see  these 
earthly  dealings  with  me  very  differently  in  the  light 
of  eternity.  It  is  the  frowning  sky  and  the  appear- 
ance of  the  coming  storm  that  lead  the  mariner  to 
make  all  sail  towards  the  haven,  and  urge  the  tra- 
veller to  hasten  to  the  covert.  So  now  I  see  that  it 
was  because  of  the  deceitfulness  of  my  heart,  that 
God,  in  his  infinite  wisdom  as  well  as  infinite  love, 
spread  around  me  the  checkered  scenes  of  my  earthly 
experience. 

"  I  was  young,  and  comparatively  thoughtless, 
when  the  Prophet  Samuel  came  and  anointed  me  to 
be  the  future  king  of  Israel,  in  the  room  of  your 
earthly  father,  who  was  then  reigning.  I  felt  my 
heart  puffed  up  with  pride  at  the  thought  of  the  dig- 
nity which  thus  awaited  me.  God  saw  this,  and  in 
love  brought  into  operation  means  to  humble  me,  — 
the  jealousy  and  cruel  hatred  of  your  father ;  the  bit- 
ter opposition  of  my  enemies,  who  swarmed  on  every 
side  wherever  I  turned ;  the  many  wearisome  days  and 
sleepless  nights  I  spent  homeless  and  cheerless,  hunted 
like  a  partridge  upon  the  mountain-top. 

"  Then,  when  God  had  placed  me  upon  the  throne, 
and  opened  the  hand  of  his  bountiful  goodness  so  libe- 
rally, and  showered  down  upon  me  so  many  blessings, 
both  temporal  and  spiritual,  my  heart  was  again 
lifted  uj)  in  the  pride  of  a  dangerous  security ;    and 


118         COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

thus,  in  an  unthinking  and  thoughtless  moment,  I  fell 
into  the  deepest  of  sins,  and  gave  occasion  to  the 
enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme.  The  sword  of 
the  Lord  God  was  then  unsheathed  against  my  house  ; 
and  ever  after  its  gleaming  edge  hung  over  it,  sharp- 
ened and  made  ready  for  the  slaughter.  How  often  I 
look  back  upon  these  dark  transactions,  with  feelings 
of  wonder  that  I  could  have  lulled  myself  into  such  a 
state  of  hollow  confidence  and  deceitful  peace !  I 
forgot  that  the  holy  eye  of  the  all-seeing  God  had  been 
turned  towards  me,  and  was  glaring  upon  me  during 
the  whole  of  these  iniquitous  scenes  in  which  I  had 
been  the  chief  actor. 

"How  can  I  describe  that  scene,  when,  sitting  quiet 
in  my  palace,  composed  and  calm,  the  Prophet  Nathan 
was  introduced  to  me? — how,  after  observing  that  in 
the  sweet  calm  of  that  summer's  afternoon  the  God 
of  Israel  seemed  to  be  smiling  upon  his  people,  he 
began  to  recite  to  me,  in  well-set  phrase  and  in  beau- 
tiful elocution,  the  parable  of  the  poor  man  and  his 
ewe-lamb,  and  the  conduct  of  his  rich  neighbor  in 
robbing  him  of  it? — how  I  was  so  unmindful  of  my 
own  doings,  and  so  stirred  by  the  simple  but  graphic 
narrative  of  the  prophet,  that  I  hastily  said,  r  As  the 
Lord  liveth,  the  man  that  hath  done  this  thing  shall 
surely  die'  ? — how  Nathan  then  looked  me  broad  in 
the  face,  pointed  his  finger  towards  me,  and,  with  an 
emphasis  and  solemnity  of  voice  that  went  to  my  very 
heart,    said,    '  Thou    art   the    man'?     These   words 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.  119 

Bounded  in  my  ears  during  the  whole  days  of  my  pil- 
grimage on  earth.  The  moment  I  heard  them,  the 
whole  enormity  of  my  conduct  flashed  upon  my  view ; 
nor  know  I  what  I  would  have  done,  if  I  had  not 
found  refuge  in  prayer.  Oh !  what  a  privilege  to 
those  on  earth  that  God  has  made  himself  known  as 
the  hearer  of  the  stricken  heart,  and  that  they  are 
permitted  to  unbosom  their  misery  to  his  mercy  !  It 
was  only  when  I  poured  out  my  heart  before  God 
with  many  tears,  that  the  darkness  of  a  deep  and 
dreadful  night  passed  from  my  soul,  and  that  the 
morning  of  a  joyful  day  began  to  dawn  upon  my 
heart.  Yes,  the  dark  clouds  of  sorrow  were  dis- 
persed, and  in  the  light  of  God's  countenance  I  saw 
the  evidence  that  I  was  forgiven. 

"  How  little  can  those  who  are  in  the  world  foresee 
what  effects  are  to  follow  particular  actions,  and  how 
necessary  it  is  to  be  always  in  a  state  of  holy  watch- 
fulness !  I  little  thought,  when  I  rose  from  my  bed 
to  take  a  walk  upon  the  roof  of  the  king's  house  on 
the  evening-tide  in  which  I  fell,  that  one  short  and 
hurried  look  was  to  change  the  whole  current  of  my 
after-life. 

"In  the  midst  of  all  my  distresses  upon  earth,  1 
found  a  solace  in  solemn  poetry.  I  wrote  my  psalms 
chiefly  with  the  object  of  putting  upon  record  my  own 
varying  spiritual  experience,  to  show  to  the  children 
of  Israel  in  what  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  really 
consists.     I  found  that  the  soul  in  a  state  of  grace 


120  COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

was  not  as  a  calm,  clear  sky  without  a  cloud,  nor  as 
a  lake  unstirred  by  the  passing  winds  :  it  was  as  a 
sky  sometimes  clear,  sometimes  covered  with  clouds, 
sometimes  filled  with  the  warring  winds  and  with  the 
rolling  thunder.  Such  was  my  spiritual  experience 
in  the  world.  I  was  sometimes  in  darkness,  some- 
times in  light,  and  sometimes  like  the  dim  morning 
light  spread  over  the  mountains,  whilst  their  tops 
were  hung  round  with  the  drapery  of  clouds.  I  was 
at  one  time  in  doubt ;  and  at  another  I  felt  in  the 
glow  of  a  comfortable  assurance.  I  was  at  one  time 
far  down  in  the  depths,  as  if  cast  off  by  God,  and 
sunk  into  the  floods ;  at  another,  elevated  upon  the 
hill-top  of  comfort  and  of  heavenly  hope,  the  whole 
firmament  around  me  lighted  up  with  the  sunshine  of 
God's  favor  and  love,  and  the  warm  heavens  above 
me  opening  to  receive  me  into  their  eternal  rest.  I 
have  given  in  the  psalms  my  varying  spiritual  experi- 
ence, for  the  instruction  and  comfort  of  the  children 
of  God  in  every  age  of  the  world.  And  what  a  sol- 
ace has  been  to  me  my  spiritual  outpourings  !  These 
psalms,  which,  but  for  my  sins,  would  never  have 
been  written,  have  been  introduced  into  almost  every 
congregation  of  God's  people  upon  earth,  as  a  part  of 
their  worship.  Thus  the  spiritual  Israel  of  God, 
singing  them  by  the  way,  have  been  returning  and 
coming  to  the  heavenly  Zion  with  songs  and  ever- 
lasting joy  upon  their  heads ;  and  now  we  find  that 
the  singing  of  God's  praises   in   the   world   is   the 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.  121 

symbol  and  the  preparation  for  celebrating  the  same 
holy  aspirations  in  heaven." 

Jonathan's  recollections  of  God's  providence  :  "  I 
quite  concur.  The  views  you  have  expressed — that, 
in  his  dealings  with  his  people  in  the  world,  God 
often  enshrouds  himself  in  a  pavilion  of  thick  dark- 
ness, that  his  judgments  are  a  great  deep,  and  his 
ways  past  finding  out — are  also  mine.  How  myste- 
rious did  God's  doings  once  appear  to  me  also,  when 
he  deprived  me  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and  gave  it 
to  you !  But  I  now  see  that  God  in  this  acted 
towards  me,  not  only  in  infinite  wisdom,  but  also  in 
infinite  love.  The  natural  pride  of  my  heart  was  so 
great,  that  I  believe,  had  I  succeeded  my  father  and 
ascended  the  throne  of  Israel,  I  must  inevitably  have 
lost  my  soul.  God  in  love  deprived  me  of  an  earthly 
kingdom  in  time,  that  he  might  confer  upon  me 
through  eternity  this  heavenly  one ;  yea,  this  crown 
of  glory  which  I  now  wear,  and  which  will  never  fade 
away." 

Another  picture  of  love  is  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus.  They,  too,  are  recalling 
to  their  remembrances  the  scenes  of  the  past,  and  are 
speaking  to  each  other  about  the  transactions  of  earth. 
"How  glorious  is  heaven,"  may  the  first,  who  had 
been  so  inured  to  grief,  now  say,  "  compared  with 
earth !  and  how  joyous  is  our  experience  here,  com- 
pared with  what  we  passed  through  when  in  the 
world  !     Oh  !    when  I  look  in  love  upon  my  blessed 

6 


122  COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

Saviour  upon  the  throne  of  sovereignty  yonder,  and 
now  clothed  with  such  transcendent  honor  and  glory, 
I  often  recall  the  spectacle  that  I  once  witnessed  upon 
earth,  so  distressing  to  my  bleeding  heart, — the  scene 
of  Calvary, — Jesus  upon  the  cross,  that  crowned 
Saviour  dying.  Yea,  I  saw  my  dear  Redeemer, 
whom  I  loved  so  ardently,  nailed  to  the  cross,  and 
his  precious  blood  crimsoning  the  ignominious  tree ! 
Oh  the  emotions  of  that  dark  hour,  when  I  stood 
beside  you  in  the  midst  of  the  congregated  and  insult- 
ing crowd,  and  beheld  Immanuel  suffering  for  those 
who  were  turning  his  sufferings  into  mockery  !  I 
saw  that  brow,  which  is  now  encircled  with  a  diadem 
of  glory,  covered  with  sweat  and  blood,  lacerated 
and  torn  with  the  cruel  crown  of  thorns!  —  these 
eyes,  that  are  now  so  mild,  whose  every  look  upon 
us  here  is  love,  and  which  had  often  looked  upon  me 
with  the  expression  of  a  holy  and  heavenly  favor, 
red  with  weeping,  dim  with  sorrow,  and  closing  in 
death! — these  holy  lips,  which  teach  us  here  the 
high  things  of  God,  and  drop  like  the  honeycomb, 
pale  with  pain  and  the  loss  of  blood,  and  quivering  in 
the  agonies  of  dissolution  ! — these  feet,  which  traverse 
here  the  plains  of  bliss  whilst  feeding  us  with  the 
manna  of  heaven,  and  leading  us  to  the  fountains  of 
living  waters,  which  I  once  washed  with  my  tears, 
fastened  with  the  bloody  nails  to  the  painful  tree  !  — 
these  hands,  that  now  hold  the  sceptre  of  universal 
dominion,   so   often    stretched   forth   upon    earth   to 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN,  123 

relieve  the  needy,  or  lifted  up  in  prayer,  stretched 
and  nailed  to  the  bloody  beam  !  It  was  almost  like 
a  relief  to  me  when  the  darkness  began  to  mantle 
the  sky,  and  to  throw  its  deepening  shadows  over  the 
earth ;  for  it  hid  from  my  sight  my  dear  Redeemer's 
contortions  and  twitchings  of  pain;  just  as  it  is 
sometimes  like  a  relief  to  a  mother  to  see  her  dear 
babe  at  rest  in  death,  and  its  sufferings  over.  What 
horror  streamed  through  my  soul  when  I  heard  the 
voice  of  agony  exclaiming,  ?  My  God,  my  God,  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me?' 

"  The  resurrection-day  will  not  be  more  joyful  to 
me  when  it  dawns,  and  when  I  will  receive  my  body 
from  the  tomb,  fashioned  like  to  my  dear  Redeemer's, 
than  was  that  morn  when  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead, 
and  appeared  to  me  in  my  sorrow  in  the  garden. 
Oh  the  joy  of  my  soul  when  I  heard  his  well-known 
voice  again  saying  to  me,  'Mary !'  I  love  to  dwell 
upon  the  recollection  of  these  scenes  ;  for  this  awakens 
my  gratitude  to  Jesus  anew,  and,  by  contrast,  en- 
hances my  present  happiness.  Thus  the  remem- 
brance of  the  sorrows  and  trials  of  earth  is  one 
element  by  which  the  joys  of  heaven  are  heightened 
to  us  here ;  just  as  the  recollection  of  the  temporal 
death  all  endure  when  we  enter  this  great  world 
leads  us  to  appreciate  aright  the  gift  of  eternal  life 
which  we  now  enjoy." 

The  mother  of  Jesus,  in  tones  of  love :  "  How 
often  I  too,  amidst  our  present  joys,  recall  the  scenes 


124  COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

of  sorrow  to  which  you  have  now  referred !  A 
mother's  heart  was  bleeding  as  well  as  yours,  when 
Jesus,  now  so  gloriously  exalted  upon  the  throne, 
was  upon  the  cross.  What  tender  sensibilities  awoke 
at  the  words,  r  Behold  thy  mother  !'  My  soul  mag- 
nifies the  Lord,  my  spirit  rejoices  in  God  my  Saviour, 
because  these  trials  are  all  past,  and  because  all 
my  earthly  cares  and  solicitudes  and  anxieties  are 
over  now.  I  was  highly  honored  by  God  whilst  a 
daughter  of  earth,  inasmuch  as  all  the  promises  of 
a  coming  Saviour  concentrated  in  me,  and  I  was 
selected,  among  the  thousands  of  women  throughout 
Palestine,  to  give  birth  to  Immanuel,  who  is  God 
with  us.  But  my  name,  I  know,  has  been  injured, 
and  my  dear  Redeemer  has  been  grievously  dis- 
honored, by  a  portion  of  the  Christian  Church  paying 
to  me,  on  this  account,  a  misplaced  reverence  and  an 
impious  worship.  Oh  that  they  knew  as  well  as  I 
do  that  I  did  not  save  myself,  and  that  I  cannot 
save  them,  having  no  more  power  to  bestow  salvation 
upon  the  perishing  than  the  meanest  saint  in  glory, 
and  would  worship  the  Lord  their  God  and  serve 
him  alone  !  Jesus  himself  has  said,  'Whosoever  shall 
do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the 
same  is  my  brother  and  sister  and  mother.'  Yet 
the  poor  heathen  cries  to  his  idol  in  his  distress, 
and  the  poor  idolatrous  worshippers  of  a  woman  cry 
to  me,  and  ignorantly  worship  me,  who  am  not  the 
hearer    of  prayer,    and   cannot  answer  it.     Would 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.  125 

that  the  nations  of  earth  heard  the  voice  and  would 
listen  to  the  proclamation  of  yonder  angel  who  is 
now  flying  with  outspread  wings  through  the  midst 
of  heaven,  and  whose  message  is,  f  Fear  God,  and 
give  glory  to  him,  and  worship  Him  that  made  heaven 
and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of  waters' ! 
No,  my  privilege  in  this  heaven  of  love  is  not  to 
bestow  salvation  upon  others,  but  to  magnify  and 
to  praise  my  God  and  Saviour  for  the  great  salvation, 
which,  through  his  shed  blood,  he  has  conferred  upon 
me." 

How  interesting  another  picture,  that  of  Paul  and 
Onesimus  !  They  are  engaged  in  conversation.  They 
are  discoursing  of  God's  sovereignty  in  grace,  and  of 
the  overruling  decrees,  in  reference  to  each  of  them, 
of  God's  electing  love. 

Paul's  reminiscences  :  "  In  the  possession  of  this 
heaven  of  love  in  which  we  have  now  our  home  for 
eternity,  I  often  recall  the  past,  and  meditate  upon 
the  various  manifestations  of  God's  great  and  awful 
sovereignty  in  the  salvation  of  men.  What  an 
illustration  of  the  doctrine  of  grace  does  my  salvation 
give  !  I  was  a  proud  and  contemptuous  Pharisee. 
Imagining  myself  righteous,  I  despised  others.  I 
was  a  blasphemer  and  a  persecutor.  I  hated  to  hear 
the  very  name  of  Jesus.  In  my  ignorance  and 
ungodliness,  I  thought  I  was  doing  God  service  by 
persecuting  all  who  called  upon  Him,  the  Father,  in 
the  blessed  name  of  Immanuel.      Surely,  in  these 


12b*        COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

circumstances,  I  deserved  to  be  left  to  perish.  But 
God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  for  his  great  love  where- 
with he  loved  me,  did  not  leave  me  in  my  guilt.  In 
the  midst  of  deserved  wrath,  he  remembered  me  with 
undeserved  mercy.  Jesus,  in  the  sovereignty  of  his 
grace,  appeared  to  me  on  my  way  to  Damascus,  and 
snatched  me  as  a  brand  from  the  everlasting  burn- 
ings. Oh !  I  feel  as  if  eternity  will  be  too  short  to 
utter  forth  the  high  praises  of  Him  who  thus  looked 
down  upon  me  in  love,  made  bare  his  holy  arm  for 
my  salvation,  and  compassed  me  about  with  a  great 
deliverance.  Yea,  I  was  hanging,  with  the  dark 
thunder-cloud  of  God's  wrath  above  me,  over  the  pit 
of  eternal  destruction,  every  moment  about  to  perish 
for  ever,  when  Jesus  came  down  from  this  heaven  of 
love,  flew  in  his  chariot  of  light  and  glory,  encircled 
me  in  his  covenant  embrace,  placed  my  feet  upon  the 
Rock  of  ages,  and  put  a  new  song  into  my  mouth, 
even  salvation  to  my  God.  Thus  elected  to  life, 
and  to  enjoy  his  favor,  and  to  partake  of  the  out- 
goings of  his  grace  and  love,  I  was  not  yet  exempt 
from  sufferings.  My  whole  life  upon  earth  was  a 
scene  of  endless  trials.  I  had  no  rest,  few  friends, 
many  enemies,  bitter  and  cruel.  Wherever  I  went, 
the  world  was  up  in  arms  against  me.  I  was  like 
the  petrel,  flying  always  in  the  midst  of  the  raging 
and  warring  winds,  and  among  the  rolling  and 
dashing  billows.  A  rough  passage,  indeed,  to  this 
eternity  of  rest,  was  mine ;    but  when  I  reached  this 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.         127 

haven  of  eternal  repose,  and  cast  anchor  within  the 
veil,  and  looked  back  upon  the  foaming  billows  of 
time  rolling  in  the  distance  behind  me,  I  was  recom- 
pensed, secure  in  the  haven  of  eternity. 

"  I  stood  upon  the  shore  of  Melita  after  a  fearful 
shipwreck,  and  saw  the  white  waves  breaking  harm- 
lessly at  my  feet.  I  then  felt  glad.  I  was  gladder 
when  I  reached  the  shore  of  Immanuel's  land,  leaving 
behind  me  my  poor  shattered  body  lying  stranded 
upon  the  shore  of  mortality.  I  often  think  that  I 
could  not  have  enjoyed  heaven  so  much  as  I  do,  if 
I  had  not  previously  been  subjected  to  a  life  of  such 
sorrows,  trials,  and  persecutions. 

"  Little  did  my  bitter  enemies  think,  when  they 
were  hunting  me  to  death  and  stirring  up  the  world 
against  me,  that  they  were  pouring  into  the  cup  of 
affliction  they  placed  in  my  hand  a  draught  of  com- 
fort and  of  joy  which  I  will  drink  for  ever.  It  was 
this  that  led  me  to  say  whilst  in  the  world,  f  I  reckon 
that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed 
in  us.'  f  For  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a 
moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory.'  The  view  of  the  grated 
cell  and  the  erected  scaffold  is  the  very  thing  that 
thrills  the  bosom  of  the  criminal  with  rapture  when 
his  sovereign  cancels  the  sentence,  and  pardons. 
Rising  from  the  sick-bed  upon  which  the  poor  patient 
has  been  stretched  for  a  season,  with  the  burning 


128  COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

fever  drinking  up  the  moisture  of  his  body,  is  the 
very  thing  that  gives  virtue  to  the  cooling  breeze 
which  a  summer's  afternoon  breathes  upon  the  yet 
partially  heated  cheek.  The  sufferings  of  slavery 
give  zest  to  the  joys  of  liberty,  and  the  experience 
of  the  perils  and  horrors  of  war  weaves  a  wreath 
around  the  waving  olive-branch  of  peace.  So  do  I 
feel  that  my  toils  and  sufferings  in  the  world  heighten 
the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  of  heaven. 

"  I  often  think,  Onesimus,  upon  the  act  of  God's 
sovereignty  and  electing  love  in  your  salvation,  as 
well  as  in  my  own.  When  I  appealed  to  Caesar, 
whilst  standing  at  Festus'  judgment-bar,  I  little 
thought  that  God  was  thus  leading  me,  by  a  way 
that  I  knew  not,  to  become  the  instrument  of  your 
salvation.  But  so  it  was.  God  was  looking  down 
in  love  from  that  throne  upon  which  he  is  exalted. 
He  saw  you  an  unawakened  and  guilty  sinner  at  Rome, 
and  he  had  even  then  thoughts  of  mercy  towards  you. 
He  brought  me  into  perplexities  and  troubles  that  he 
might  bring  you  salvation.  I  felt  much  annoyed  at 
being  detained  so  long  in  Rome  before  my  appeal  was 
decided  by  the  emperor ;  but  God  was  detaining  me 
there  till  the  set  time  for  your  deliverance  should 
come.  I  remember  well  the  moment  when  I  first 
looked  upon  you  among  the  auditors  who  were  listen- 
ing to  me  preaching  in  my  own  hired  house.  The  tears 
were  streaming  from  your  eyes,  as  those  eyes  were 
fixed  intently  upon  me.     I  had  been  preaching  of 


COMMUNION  OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.         123 

righteousness  and  temperance,  and  was  dwelling  upon 
the  awful  fact,  that  there  is  a  judgment  to  come, 
when  suddenly  you  cried  out,  '  What  must  I  do  to  be 
saved?'  I  cannot  describe  to  you  the  thrill  of  joy 
that  question  sent  to  my  soul.  I  saw  that  God  was 
blessing  his  gospel,  preached  even  in  the  midst  of 
bonds  and  imprisonment.  How  joyful  I  felt  when  I 
met  you  alone,  after  the  rest  of  my  hearers  had  with- 
drawn, and  when  I  discovered,  that,  encircled  as  you 
had  previously  been  by  a  very  ocean  of  ungodliness, 
you  had  found  the  pearl  of  great  price,  and  become 
the  new  creature  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  !  I  knew 
that  the  whole  heavens  were  at  that  moment  rejoicing 
over  your  spiritual  birth ;  and  it  was  with  a  heart 
filled  with  gratitude  to  God,  that  I  knelt  with  you, 
and  we  lifted  up  our  tribute  of  thanksgiving  and  of 
praise.  Oh,  with  what  a  gush  of  holy  fervor  in  my 
soul  I  then  blessed  him,  that  he  had  brought  you  into 
a  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus ;  that  he 
had  sent  the  rod  of  his  strength  out  of  Zion,  and  that 
you  had  become  willing  in  the  day  of  your  Redeem- 
er's power  ! " 

It  is  not  difficult  to  figure  the  answer  of  Onesimus : 
"  Oh  that  sovereignty  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  man  ! 
Those  in  the  world  feel  GooVs  decree  to  be  a  sea  which 
the  short  line  of  their  reason  cannot  fathom ;  but  God 
is  sovereign  in  his  electing  love.  I  am  an  example 
of  this.  What  had  I  done  to  deserve  his  favor  and 
love?     I  had  robbed  my  master,  fled  from  his  ser- 

6* 


130         COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

vice,  and  run  away  from  a  home  in  which  I  had 
uniformly  been  kindly  treated.  I  came  in  my  wander- 
ings to  Rome,  the  metropolis  of  the  world,  and  was 
glad  when  I  reached  that  densely  peopled  city ;  for 
I  thought  it  was  scarcely  possible  for  my  injured  mas- 
ter to  find  me  there  and  bring  me  to  punishment.  I 
mingled  for  a  season  with  the  ungodly  in  that  city 
of  iniquity  ;  and  it  was  only  casually  I  heard  from  a 
companion,  that  an  eloquent  prisoner  had  come  up 
from  Palestine  upon  an  appeal  to  the  emperor.  I 
made  inquiries,  and  learned  your  name.  I  had  heard 
you  preach  whilst  yet  in  the  house  of  Philemon  ;  but 
the  word  preached  was  not  then  carried  home  by  the 
Spirit  to  my  heart  in  its  saving  power.  I  thought 
I  would  like  to  see  you  again,  that  I  might  observe 
whether  or  not  you  were  much  altered  in  your  appear- 
ance since  the  time  when  I  saw  you  in  Asia  Minor.  I 
thus  came  to  hear  you  preach  ;  but  it  was  out  of  mere 
curiosity,  and  with  no  intention  of  making  myself 
known  to  you.  When  I  looked  upon  you  in  the 
midst  of  your  persecution,  —  so  calm  and  resigned  in 
your  bonds  to  the  will  of  our  heavenly  Father,  and 
exhibiting  such  an  air  of  holy  confidence  and  heavenly 
comfort  upon  your  countenance, — I  began  to  feel, 
even  before  you  commenced  your  address,  that  as- 
suredly you  were  engaged  in  the  cause  of  truth.  Oh  ! 
I  will  bless  God  through  all  eternity,  that,  by  the 
invisible  leadings  of  his  providence,  he  brought  me  to 
hear  you  that  day.     Your  words  went  home  to  my 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 


131 


heart  like  winged  arrows  barbed  with  steel.  The 
Lord  Jesus  was  in  the  chariot  of  his  preached  gos- 
pel, and  I  felt  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come.  I 
awoke  into  a  state  of  new  existence,  —  into  a  life  of 
light  and  liberty  and  holy  joy." 


CHAPTER  IX. 


COMMUNION  OF   SAINTS   IN  HEAYEN  (continued). 


AKE  another  group,  composed  of  Mary, 
Martha,  and  Lazarus,  and  listen  to  the 
first :  "  I  often  here  recall  the  fond  remem- 
brances of  our  once-happy  home  at  Bethany.  Life 
upon  earth  is  soon  over,  with  its  rainbow-hopes  and 
its  often  anxious  fears ;  but  the  remembrances  of  life 
will  never  be  exiled  from  the  chambers  of  memory. 
The  scenes  of  Bethany  are  as  fresh  and  as  vivid  be- 
fore me  now  as  they  were  when  we  lived  there.  I 
never  hear  the  word  '  Bethany'  pronounced  here, 
even  in  this  home  of  love,  but  a  whole  flood  of  hal- 
lowed and  tender  associations  connected  with  it  are 
awakened  in  my  soul.  It  was  to  us  the  house  of 
God,  the  very  gate  of  heaven.  Our  earthly  parents 
left  us  whilst  yet  young.  When  they  forsook  us,  the 
Lord  took  -us  up.  I  often  recall  with  wonder  and 
delight  that  afternoon,  when  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God, 

[132] 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.        133 

first  came  to  our  home,  apparently  a  mere  homeless 
stranger,  and  when  I  had  first  the  privilege  of  hear- 
ing his  voice.  We  felt  in  that  divine  and  holy  pre- 
sence as  if  heaven  had  actually  come  down,  not  only 
into  our  home,  but  into  our  very  hearts.  Such  se- 
renity, such  peace,  such  holy  joy  !  How  gladdened 
I  was  by  the  thought,  that  we  were  the  objects  of  his 
love  !  and,  in  my  too  high  spiritual  security,  I  ima- 
gined no  evil  would  come  nigh  our  dwelling,  and  no 
cloud  would  ever  in  its  darkness  gather  over  it.  O 
Lazarus  !  I  recollect  well  what  a  blight  came  over  my 
heart,  when  I  looked  upon  you  breathing  with  diffi- 
culty, and  the  perspiration  in  cold  drops  falling  from 
your  pallid  brow.  Approaching  your  bed  softly,  for 
you  had  become  calmer,  I  thought  you  were  asleep  ; 
and  the  sunshine  of  a  momentarily  awakened  hope 
dawned  upon  my  sorrowful  heart.  I  thought  the 
Lord  was  looking  down  upon  us  in  love,  and  that  you 
were  to  be  spared  to  us.  You  tried  to  lift  your  head, 
and  lay  it  upon  your  hand,  whilst  your  elbow  rested 
upon  the  pillow.  You  were  unable  to  support  your- 
self in  that  position,  and  you  laid  yourself  down  upon 
the  pillow  again.  You  then  said,  ?Is  that  you, 
Mary  ? '  Your  eyes  had  become  so  dim,  that  you  did 
not  see  me ;  and  you  asked  me  to  call  for  Martha, 
who  was  busily  engaged  in  getting  the  drink  you 
loved  ready  for  you.  What  emotions  of  sorrow  cir- 
culated through  our  souls,  when  you  told  us,  as  we 
were  stooping  over  you  in  tears,  that  you  felt  your- 


134        COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

self  dying,  and  then,  with  a  tremulous  voice,  com- 
mended us  to  the  God  of  our  salvation ;  adding,  as 
you  shook  hands  with  us,  'We  have  been  happy  to- 
gether in  this  home  of  love :  but,  oh !  we  will  be 
happier  when  we  meet  up  yonder,  in  our  Father's 
home  in  heaven ;  for  then  we  will  have  no  sin,  we 
will  be  perfectly  holy,  and  I  will  not  be  a  suffering 
patient  to  give  you  pain' !  We  sat  down  beside  you, 
and  looked  on  in  silence,  and  beheld  with  you  and 
towards  you  the  doings  of  the  Lord.  You  went  to 
sleep  ;  and  oh  the  agony  of  that  moment  when  we 
knew  that  from  that  sleep  you  would  never  awake,  — 
that  your  spirit  had  passed  away !  Then  were  we 
desolate,  for  we  felt  that  we  had  but  few  friends  left ; 
and  this  was  the  very  cause  that  led  us  to  look  up 
in  prayer,  resignation,  and  hope  to  our  Father  in 
heaven,  who  lives  whilst  friends  die. 

"  Nor  was  our  grief  yet  ameliorated.  Our  sympa- 
thizing neighbors  had  stretched  and  dressed  your 
body  ;  and  I  approached  the  bed,  laid  my  fevered  hand 
upon  your  brow,  and  shook  as  I  felt  the  coldness  of 
death.  I  looked  out  from  our  desolate  home,  and 
thought  the  pale  moon  in  the  sky  was  sick  with  grief, 
and  that  the  stars  were  silently  weeping  over  the 
desolation  of  our  hearts ;  but  oh  that  morning  of 
joy  which  broke  upon  our  souls  when  we  listened  to 
the  voice  of  Jesus  at  your  tomb,  saying,  f  Lazarus, 
come  forth,'  and  when  you  rose  into  life,  and  walked 
from  the  tomb  to  meet  us,   and  came  home  with  us 


COMMUNION    OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.         135 

and  our  friends,  and  again  occupied  your  accustomed 
seat !  We  met  that  da}'  in  joy,  but  we  met  to  be 
parted  again  ;  and  how  delightful  is  the  thought,  that 
we  are  now  in  a  home  that  death  will  never  enter,  and 
where  we  will  never  be  separated  more  !  " 

Martha's  reciprocating  views  :  "  I  now  see  that  I 
felt,  while  in  the  world,  far  too  anxious  about  what 
I  was  to  eat,  and  what  I  was  to  drink,  and  where- 
withal I  was  to  be  clothed ;  whilst  indeed  I  gave 
myself  no  rest  either  by  night  or  by  day,  planning  my 
worldly  arrangements,  and  bustling  about  to  get  them 
executed.  I  felt  as  if  the  world  would  necessarily 
stand  still,  and  the  sun  would  cease  his  journey 
through  the  sky,  and  the  moon  and  stars  would  not 
remain  upon  their  watch-towers,  if  I  was  not  pant- 
ing and  sweating  and  hurrying  to  and  fro  in  the 
performance  of  duty,  and  in  carrying  forward  my 
domestic  arrangements.  ?  Martha,  Martha,  thou  art 
troubled  about  many  things ;  but  one  thing  is  need- 
ful.' These  words  were  to  my  bosom  like  the  r Peace, 
be  still !  '  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  They  not  only 
calmed  my  agitated  heart,  but  caused  the  morning 
of  a  new  day  to  break  upon  my  soul.  I  then  began 
to  see  that  the  world  would  go  on  when  I  was  at  rest 
in  my  grave ;  that  the  time  would  come  when  our 
household  arrangements,  which  had  almost  entirely 
engrossed  my  attention,  would  be  performed  by  the 
hands  of  another ;  and  that  there  was  something 
higher  to  live  for  than  the  world,  and  all  that  was  in 


136         COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

it.  I  saw  that  I  had  received  life,  not  to  spend  it 
merely  in  the  performance  of  worldly  duties,  but  to 
dedicate  it  to  God,  and  to  make  preparation  for 
eternity. 

"  In  the  midst  of  these  musings,  a  new  light  dawned 
upon  my  soul,  —  a  new  world  came  into  my  view.  I 
felt  then  a  peace  and  a  calm  descend  upon  my  heart 
which  I  had  never  experienced  before.  I  entered  the 
pavilion  of  God's  covenanted  presence.  I  felt  myself 
embowered  in  the  embrace  of  my  heavenly  Father's 
love,  and  I  too  hastily  inferred  that  care  and  anxiety 
would  never  be  the  inmates  of  my  bosom  again.  I 
thought  with  Mary,  that  as  Jesus  loved  us,  and  as  we 
were  the  children  of  the  living  God,  he  would  surely 
exempt  us  from  affliction  and  trouble.  Oh,  what  a 
shock  these  improper  hopes  received  when  we  looked 
upon  you  sickening,  and  when  we  saw  you,  a  brother 
beloved,  numbered  with  the  dead !  How  utterly 
empty  and  desolate  and  dark  the  world  had  become, 
as  if  the  previously  bright  sun  of  our  earthly  comfort 
had  set,  and  a  dark  and  starless  night  of  sorrow  had 
gathered,  with  its  clouds  and  stillness,  around  our 
desolated  home  !  But  when,  in  answer  to  our  dear 
Eedeemer's  call,  I  heard  the  rustle  of  your  dead- 
clothes  ;  when  I  saw  you  rise  up,  and  become  erect 
again  upon  your  feet ;  and  when  I  looked  upon  you 
walking  among  the  living  with  these  grave-clothes 
still  about  you,  — indeed,  life  from  the  dead,  — I  felt 
all  that  emotion  of  joy  and  of  gratitude  to  the  Son  of 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.        137 

God,  described  by  Mary,  and  which  never  can  be  for- 
gotten even  among  the  joys  of  heaven." 

The  loving  response  of  Lazarus  to  these  hallowed 
recollections :  "  We  have  left  the  earth,  with  its 
changing  seasons  and  its  varying  spiritual  expe- 
riences, for  this  heaven,  in  which  one  summer  of  life 
continually  smiles,  and  in  which  our  souls  are  always 
glad  beneath  the  sunshine  of  God's  unveiled  counte- 
nance. I  remember  well  the  occasion  to  which  you 
have  both  alluded.  I  felt  pained,  when  the  burning 
fever  spread  its  withering  fire  over  my  body,  at  the 
thought  that  I  was  to  be  parted  from  you,  with  whom 
I  had  lived  so  happily ;  but  this  was  changed  into 
emotions  of  joy  when  I  came  up  here  to  find  a  home 
of  love.  But  how  can  I  describe  my  feelings  when 
commanded  by  God  to  leave  heaven,  and  to  enter  my 
body  again,  and  to  return  to  you  in  your  home  of 
sorrow,  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  Jesus  ?  When  I 
saw  again  the  sun ;  when  I  descended,  and  came 
within  sight  of  the  earth,  as  it  rose  before  me,  with 
its  mountains  and  oceans  and  streams  and  woods 
and  valleys  ;  when  I  came  within  sight  of  Bethany, 
and  saw  Jesus  standing  at  the  mouth  of  the  tomb 
in  which  my  body  was  lying ;  when  I  saw  you  two 
standing  beside  him,  and  weeping;  and  when  I 
beheld  the  multitude  who  were  gathered  around, — 
these  things  are  for  the  spirit,  rather  than  for  the 
words  of  the  spirit.  Nor  more  adequate  to  the  con- 
ception would  be  the   description   of  my  emotions 


138         COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

when  I  entered  my  body  again,  —  so  like,  in  a  mean 
sense,  a  person  returning  to  his  home  after  an 
absence,  and  finding  the  windows  closed,  the  fires 
out,  and  silence  and  darkness  reigning  in  every 
apartment, — and  when  I  came  out  from  the  tomb, 
and  returned  with  you  to  our  home  of  love.  I  had 
to  die  the  second  time  ;  but  that  death  did  not  appear 
such  a  strange  thing :  and  when  I  rose  again,  and 
came  along  the  path  that  leads  to  this  home,  I  felt 
like  a  person  upon  a  road  that  is  familiar  to  him,  or 
like  a  child  returning  along  the  well-known  path  that 
leads  him  back  to  his  father's  home." 

OBJECTIONS   NOTICED. 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  I  will  notice  three 
objections  that  possibly  may  be  brought  by  the  cap- 
tious against  some  of  the  views  that  I  have  advanced 
in  setting  forth  the  communion  of  saints  in  heaven. 

Do  you  say,  that,  in  the  pictures  I  have  given  of  the 
family  intercourse  in  our  Father's  home,  you  have  got 
a  glimpse  of  a  totally  different  heaven  from  that  which 
you  were  previously,  by  faith,  in  the  habit  of  looking 
up  into  ?  This  may  be,  and  nevertheless  the  heaven 
I  have  described  may  be  the  very  heaven  of  the  Bible. 
Again  :  if  you  say  that  I  have  represented  the  glorified 
who  are  in  heaven  as  holding  and  enjoying  too  great 
a  familiarity  in  their  intercourse  with  each  other,  I 
would  like  you  to  give  to  the  world  the  benefit  of  a 
distinct  statement  of  the  proof  of  your  objection.     Is 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN        139 

heaven  a  home?  Do  all  who  are  in  heaven  constitute 
hut  one  family?  Then  surely  it  is  fair  analogical, 
nay,  it  is  logical,  reasoning  to  infer,  that  the  inter- 
course which  exists  amongst  the  children  of  a  pious 
Christian  family  upon  earth  is  an  index  and  a  symbol 
of  that  which  exists  in  heaven.  Moreover,  if  you 
say  that  you  had  always  previously  pictured  heaven 
in  your  imagination  as  a  place  whose  inhabitants  are 
so  much  engaged  in  the  realization  of  the  beatific 
vision,  looking  upon  God,  beholding  the  face  of  Jesus, 
and  joining  in  the  worship  of  Him  who  sitteth  upon 
the  throne,  that  they  have  no  leisure  and.  no  opportu- 
nity of  holding  such  fellowship  with  each  other  as  I  have 
depicted, — do  you  really,  then,  believe  that  your  eter- 
nity is  to  be  spent  in  one  continuous,  fixed,  and 
unchanging  gaze  upon  God's  face? — a  position  which 
would  involve  the  conclusion,  that  all  the  inhabitants 
of  heaven,  and  all  its  glorious  scenery, — for  I  have 
shown  it  is  a  place, — are  to  be  entirely  hidden  from 
your  view  as  you  thus  stand  transfixed  and  immova- 
ble. This  is  not  the  position  of  angels.  They  veil 
their  faces  with  their  wings  before  God,  and  go  forth 
to  execute  his  messages  both  of  wrath  and  of  love. 
This  is  not  the  position  of  those  glorified  ones  from 
earth  who  are  already  in  heaven.  "  They  follow  the 
Lamb  whithersoever  he  goeth,"  and  join  in  the  high 
praises  of  eternity.  The  poor  Brahmin  takes  his 
stand  upon  his  lofty  pedestal  in  the  exercise  of  his 
superstitious  worship ;    he  withdraws  his  eyes  from 


140         COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 

earth  and  from  all  terrestrial  objects  ;  he  lifts  them 
upwards,  and  fixes  them,  not  upon  God,  not  upon 
heaven,  nor  upon  heavenly  things, — for  these  are  all 
unknown, — but  upon  the  natural  sun;  and  this  he 
continues  until  he  becomes  entirely  blind.  ■  This 
unchanging  gaze  upon  what  he  calls  God  is  the 
Brahmin's  heaven.  The  Bible  heaven  is  a  home ; 
and  those  who  are  in  it  constitute  one  united  and 
happy  family,  whose  chief  element  of  joy,  it  is  true,  is 
communion  with  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  but 
whose  secondary  source  of  happiness — a  happiness  not 
the  less  real — is  the  fellowship  and  intercourse  which 
its  members  are  permitted  to  hold,  with  each  other. 

If  heaven  be  a  home,  then  it  must  be  a  place  of 
sociality,  of  intercourse,  and  of  fellowship.  That  would 
be  a  strange  home  in  which  the  inmates  had  no  social 
intercommunion.  If  your  previous  view  of  heaven 
be  correct,  and  if  the  inmates  of  it  be  living  in  a 
state  of  separated,  cold,  and  distant  isolation  from 
each  other,  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  speaks  the  truth  in 
the  Bible,  would  have  given  it  another  name, — per- 
haps a  penitentiary,  certainly  not  our  Father's  house. 
The  communion  which  the  members  of  God's  family 
enjoy  with  each  other  in  heaven,  is,  I  grant,  a  source 
of  joy  subordinate  to  that  which  they  hold  with  God  ; 
but  just  as  communion  with  each  other  exists  amongst 
the  members  of  a  family  upon  earth,  so  a  holy  com- 
munion also  exists  amongst  the  members  of  God's 
family  in  heaven. 


COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 


141 


I  have,  in  my  preceding  observations,  assumed  the 
/act,  that  friends  do  recognize  each  other  when  they 
meet  in  heaven,  which  renders  their  fellowship  there 
the  more  interesting  and  dear.  I  will  afterwards 
give  the  special  proof  for  this  assumption. 


CHAPTER  X. 

COMMUNION   OF   SAINTS   IN  HEAVEN,   A   SOURCE   OF 
INSTRUCTION   AND   OF   JOY. 


EAVEN  is  our  home.  Thus  all  who  are 
there  constitute  but  one  family  ;  for  of  Christ 
"  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is 
named  ; "  and,  as  the  members  of  the  same  family,  they 
have  fellowship  with  each  other.  I  believe  that  this 
fellowship  which  we  will  enjoy,  when  we  enter  heaven, 
with  those  who  have  reached  it  before  us,  will  be  to 
us  a  source,  not  merely  of  increased  enjoyment,  but  of 
instruction  also.  The  Bible  is  chiefly  taken  up  in 
giving  us  a  description  of  the  evolutions  of  God's 
providence  whilst  watching  over  the  human  family 
during  the  long  period  of  four  thousand  years,  and 
of  the  various  steps  which  he  was  led  to  take  in 
order  that  he  might  effect  our  salvation.  I  believe 
that  it  will  be  a  source  both  of  instruction  and  of 
pleasure  to  meet  those  in  heaven  who  were  the  lead- 
ing agents  under  God  in  the  accomplishment  of  many 

[142] 


COMMUNION  OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN.  143 
» 
of  those  events  which  are  described  only  shortly  and 
darkly  in  the  Bible  ;  and  to  hear  from  their  own  lips, 
in  the  language  of  heaven,  additional  particulars 
respecting  them. 

How  much  more,  for  instance,  could  be  declared 
of  the  mysteries  of  the  creation  than  is  contained  in 
Genesis  !  How  many  conflicting  theories  indulged 
in  by  man  might  receive  their  settlement  from  the 
mouths  of  Adam  and  the  patriarchs  !  And  we  are 
not  surely  to  suppose  that  our  curiosity  as  to  these 
wonderful  doings  of  God — amounting,  as  it  does,  to 
an  aspiration — is  to  be  left  for  ever  as  ungratified  as 
it  will  be  at  our  death.  From  Noah,  who  built  the 
first  ship  and  acted  as  the  first  sea-captain,  how 
much  might  be  learned  on  grand  and  mysterious 
events  ! — the  circumstances  connected  with  the  com- 
ing of  the  deluge  ;  what  he  felt  when  the  waters  were 
above  the  earth,  and  when  he  was  sailing  over  the 
place  where  cities  formerly  stood ;  and  what  his 
feelings  were  when  he  came  out  of  the  ark,  and  looked 
forth  upon  a  desolated  world. 

How  much  more,  too,  of  these  patriarchal  times 
might  be  learned  from  Moses,  besides  what  he  has 
recounted  of  his  own  experiences  !  — what  he  felt  in 
Egypt  when  the  destroying  angel  was  passing  over  it, 
and  during  that  tedious  wilderness-journey  of  forty 
years.  And  then  there  is  that  mysterious  termination 
of  his  pilgrimage,  when  alone  upon  the  mount  on 
which  he  died,  with  no  human  being  near  him.     We 


144  COMMUNION   OF  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN, 

are  curious  to  know  more  of  the  history  of  David, 
whose  ways — detracting,  in  one  instance,  from  the  very 
embodiment  of  devotion  —  are  to  us,  in  many  respects, 
inexplicable ;  a  remark  still  more  applicable  to  Solo- 
mon. We  have  all  read  the  history  of  Samson,  over 
and  over  again,  as  it  is  given  in  the  Bible  ;  but  who 
lias  ever  yet  been  able  to  form  a  definite  and  satisfac- 
tory view  of  his  character,  under  its  strange  lights 
and  shadows,  with  the  gates  of  Gaza  upon  his  shoul- 
ders ?  And  then  the  pitiful  picture  he  presents  with 
both  his  eyes  put  out,  groping  for  the  pillars,  upon 
which  he  pretended  he  was  about  merely  to  lean  and 
/est  himself.  Perhaps  his  whole  life  was  a  riddle, 
and  all  that  he  did  was  just  the  acting-out  of  a  strange 
parable,  because  his  lot  was  cast  among  strange  peo- 
pie. 

I  have  often  road  the  history  of  the  Apostle  Paul, 
the  most  enthusiastic  and  earnest  and  laborious  of  all 
the  children  of  God,  w:th  his  soul  continually  on  fire, 
turning  with  an  unquenchable  zeal,  and  rapt  in  a 
conflagration  of  holy  love  *md  heavenly  aspiration. 
If  we  feel  so  much  interest  in  what  we  read  of  him, 
how  much  more  would  we  experience  in  the  full 
development  of  that  abstruse  spirit,  a  more  complete 
insight  into  his  character,  and  a  more  ample  explana- 
tion of  those  wonderful  doctrines,  election  and  God's 
sovereignty  in  grace,  which  are  yet  to  so  many  Chris- 
tians a  stumbling-block  to  faith,  and  to  others  a  deep 
study  of  the  mysteries  of  God ! 


A  SOURCE  OF  INSTRUCTION  AND   OF  JOY.      145 

Nor  less  interesting  would  be  the  personal  experi- 
ence of  the  Apostle  John.  What  a  gratification  will 
it  be  to  listen  to  his  voice,  giving  an  account  of  what 
took  place  that  night,  when  the  traitor  rose  from  the 
table  and  left  the  holy  brotherhood,  and  when  Jesus, 
in  the  view  of  his  approaching  death,  instituted  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  spoke  to  the  disciples  about  his 
Father's  house  of  many  mansions,  where  they  were 
all  at  last  to  meet,  and  to  spend  an  eternity  of  love 
together;  but,  above  all,  to  hear  him  explain  the 
Book  of  the  Apocalypse,  which  has  ever  appeared  to 
divines  upon  earth  full  of  enigmas  and  riddles,  a 
mysterious  camera-obscura,  a  lofty  but  dark  delinea- 
tion of  the  future  history  of  the  Church  of  Christ ! 

We  might  thus  go  over  all  the  patriarchs,  prophets, 
and  evangelists,  every  one  of  whom  must  have  his 
soul  replete  with  a  knowledge  which  would  be  to  us 
as  a  light  in  the  dark,  showing  us  the  counsels  of  the 
Lord,  and  making  plain  to  us  his  ways  with  his  peo- 
ple ;  but  what  are  we  to  say  of  all  that  region  of 
ignorance  which  lies  beyond  the  veil  of  mere  phe- 
nomenal things,  and  to  penetrate  which  has  been 
man's  effort  since  the  creation  of  the  world?  We 
know  that  the  triumphs  of  the  greatest,  in  all  the 
departments  of  science,  are  admitted  by  themselves 
to  be  no  more  than  gropings  in  the  dark.  We  know, 
too,  that  this  ignorance  is  man's  destiny ;  never  to 
be  changed  while  he  is  upon  earth,  and  yet  ever  to  be 
wrestled  with  under  a  hope  that  will  never  cease  its 

7 


146 


COMMUNION   OF   SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 


aspirations.  Nay,  that  very  hope  against  despair  is 
a  sufficient  indication  to  us  that  an  explanation  awaits 
us  in  another  sphere,  where  the  instruction  will  come 
from  God,  the  angels,  and  the  saints. 


PART  H. 

lUtcrgwibtt  of  Jfriwtrs  hi  Jp^bm, 


"THEN  SHALL  I  KNOW  EVEN  AS  ALSO  I  AM  KNOWN." 


CHAPTER  I. 

RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS   IN  HEAVEN. 

HE  recognition  of  friends  in  heaven  follows* 
necessarily  from  the  two  facts, — that  heaven 
is  a  home,  and  that  all  who  are  in  it  constitute 
but  one  family.  It  would  be  a  frigid  home  whose 
members  were  entire  strangers  to  each  other,  and 
knew  nothing  of  each  other's  present  state  and  past 
lives. 

Few  subjects  can  possess  an  interest  equal  to  that 
which  is  involved  in  this  question  :  Will  friends,  who 
have  associated  with  each  other  upon  earth,  recognize 
each  other  when  they  rise  from  earth  at  death  and  meet 
in  heaven  ?  It  is  of  the  deepest  interest  to  all  parents, 
to  children,  to  partners,  to  brothers  and  sisters,  to 
ministers,  to  their  people,  to  masters,  to  servants, 
to  companions,  to  neighbors.  Without  this  recogni- 
tion, heaven  would  not  be  a  home  of  love.  True, 
the  present  relationships  in  which  we  stand  to  each 

[1491 


150      RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

other  upon  earth  will  not  be  perpetuated  in  heaven. 

When  an   architect  finishes  his   building,   he   takes 

.down  his   scaffolding.      These  present  relationships 

are  a  part  of  the  flesh  and  blood,  which,  the  Apostle 

Paul  tells  us,   cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  Lord  Jesus  himself  tells  us,  that  the  children  of 

the  resurrection  —  the  glorified  in  heaven  —  neither 

marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the 

angels  of  God.      But,  whilst  we  will  not  meet  in 

heaven  holding  the  same  relationship  to  each  other 

|  which  we  did  upon  earth,  I  believe  we  will  know 

i  those  there,  when  we  rise  and  meet  them  before  God 

J  unveiled,  who  are   at   present    our  beloved   friends 

here. 

It  is  somewhat  strange,  that  this  doctrine  of  the 
recognition  of  friends  in  heaven  should  ever  have  been 
called  in  question ;  but,  strange  as  it  may  appear, 
there  are  some  individuals  who  doubt  it,  and  there  are 
others  who  deny  it.  This,  at  least,  cannot  be  denied, 
that  in  every  pious  heart  there  exists  the  wish,  that 
the  doctrine  were  true ;  for  who,  indeed,  would  like 
to  part  with  those  near  and  dear  to  them,  at  their 
death,  never  to  see  them  more,  so  as  to  recognize 
them  again? 

It  has  been  questioned,  what  would  be  gained  by 
the  non-recognition  of  our  friends  in  heaven?  It 
would  be  difficult  to  say  ;  but  I  can  tell  what  we  would 
lose  by  it.  We  would  lose  the  delight  of  meeting, 
in  circumstances  of  peculiar  gladness,  those  dearly- 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     151 

beloved  ones  from  whom  we  were  parted  in  our 
chamber  of  bereavement  and  sorrow  ;  and  we  would 
be  deprived  of  the  joy  of  dwelling  with  those,  through 
eternity,  in  a  home  which  is  a  high  realization  of  the 
last  and  dearest  hope  of  dying  humanity.  Nay, 
there  is  something  dreary  and  desolating  and  blighting 
to  the  warm,  longing,  social  emotions  of  the  heart, 
in  the  very  supposition,  that  we  may  not,  in  a  future  ( 
state,  recognize  those  we  loved  upon  earth :  and  if 
the  hope  is  to  bear  no  fruit,  then,  in  that  case,  I  do 
well  to  bid  them  farewell  at  death ;  for,  if  there  be 
not  the  recognition  of  friends  in  heaven,  I  am  never 
to  meet  them  so  as  to  recognize  them ;  and,  in  other 
words,  I  am  parted  from  them  for  ever.  They  may 
exist;  but  they  are  lost  to  me, — absolutely,  eternally 
lost. 

Several  causes  are  in  operation,  leading  people 
either  to  doubt  or  positively  to  discredit  this  doctrine 
of  the  recognition  of  friends.  Those  who  have  mar- 
ried a  second  time  are  apt  to  think,  that,  were  a  first 
wife  to  meet  and  recognize  the  second,  she  would 
scarcely  be  able  to  look  with  heavenly  love  upon  her 
successor  :  she  would  feel  that  she  was  not  merely  soon 
forgotten,  but  that  her  memory  was  injured  by  her 
husband's  taking  another  to  her  bed  ;  and  to  avoid  this, 
to  them,  disagreeable  meeting  and  recognition,  such 
individuals  take  refuge  in  an  entire  disbelief  of  the 
doctrine.  Their  wish  becomes  the  proof,  that  what 
they  wish  does  not  exist. 


152      RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

Some  individuals,  again,  live  with  some  of  their 
friends  such  unholy  lives  upon  earth,  that  they  feel 
convinced  that  the  remembrance  of  these  lives,  and  the 
future  recognition  of  their  friends,  will  not  contribute 
to  their  happiness  above ;  and  thus  these  also  reason 
themselves  into  a  disbelief  of  the  doctrine.  Others 
again,  of  a  truly  pious  disposition,  but  whose  devotion 
lias  too  much  of  the  transcendental  about  it,  think  that 
the  saints  in  glory  will  be  so  occupied  in  the  contem- 
plation of  God,  in  the  worship  of  God,  and  in  the 
enjoyment  of  the  beatific  vision,  that  the  question,  "Are 
our  once  dear  friends  here  in  the  same  home  of  love 
with  us?"  will  have  no  interest  to  them.  I  have 
already  shown  this  view  to  be  both  unscriptural  and 
wrong. 

Others  imagine  that  the  resurrection-body  will  be  so 
changed  and  improved  from  what  it  was  during  life, 
that  we  will  be  no  more  able  to  recognize  it  than  we 
could  recognize  a  drop  of  water  when  changed  into  a 
flake  of  snow,  or  the  little  crawling  grub  when  changed 
into  the  winged  butterfly,  as  it  sports  with  its  rainbow- 
colors  amid  the  beams  of  the  summer's  sun.  Such 
individuals  I  believe  to  be  wrong  in  their  opinion 
respecting  the  nature  of  the  change  that  the  body  is  to 
undergo  when  it  is  raised  from  the  grave  on  the  resur- 
rection-morning.  The  Lord  Jesus  is  the  pattern  in  all 
things  of  his  people.  When  he  rises  from  the  tomb, 
he  is  not  so  changed  that  Mary  Magdalene  and  the 
other  women  and  his  disciples  do  not  know  him, — 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.      153 

they  recognize  him  at  once ;  and  so  satisfactory  does 
this  peculiar  example  appear,  that  it  does  not  seem 
necessary  to  say  more. 

Before  setting  forth  in  their  order  the  proofs  that 
have  led  me  to  believe  firmly  in  the  view  that  friends 
will  recognize  each  other  in  heaven,  I  ask,  May  we  not 
somewhat  naturally  infer,  that,  since  the  recognition  of 
friends  exists  upon  earth,  which  is  God's,  it  is  more 
than  probable,  apart  from  the  proofs  which  demon- 
strate it,  that  recognition  exists  also  in  heaven,  which 
is  God's  ?  Much  of  what  exists  upon  earth  should  be 
looked  upon  by  us  as  a  symbol  and  visible  representa- 
tion of  what  is  in  heaven ;  and  this  is  a  natural  infer- 
ence, because  the  same  God  made  both  worlds,  and 
reigns   over  them. 

What  is  the  Christian  sabbath,  with  its  holy  rest 
and  its  hallowed  and  sublime  associations?  It  is  a 
symbol  of  the  sabbath  of  eternity.  What  is  God's 
public  worship  on  his  own  holy  day  within  the  gates  of 
Zion  ?  It  is  a  symbol  of  the  high  and  everlasting  pub- 
lic worship  of  God  in  heaven,  in  which  all  the  hosts  of 
glory  exultingly  join.  What  is  prayer,  in  which  exer- 
cise we  look  up  to  God,  and  make  a  direct  address  to 
Him  who  is  our  Father  in  heaven?  It  is  a  symbol 
of  the  beatific  vision  which  saints  in  glory  enjoy,  and  of 
the  holy  communion  and  inestimable  privilege  of  speak- 
ing to  God  face  to  face,  which  those  in  heaven  possess. 
What  is  the  Lord's  Supper  and  Christ's  banqueting- 
house  upon  earth,  in  which  the  great  Master  of  assem- 

7* 


154     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

blies  meets  us,  and  breathes  upon  our  souls  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  puts  into  our  hands  the  cup  of  salvation, 
and  feeds  our  souls  with  the  bread  of  life?  It  is  a 
visible  rej)resentation  of  what  the  glorified  in  heaven 
are  enjoying,  who  are  seated  in  Christ's  banqueting- 
house  above,  in  his  own  manifested  and  blessed  pre- 
sence ,  and  at  the  table  that  will  never  be  drawn .  What 
is  a  Christian  family,  with  its  sympathy  and  love,  and 
sweet  and  open  intercourse  existing  among  its  beloved 
members?  It  is  the  panorama  of  God's  great  and 
happy  family  in  heaven.  Upon  the  same  principle,  I 
argue  that  the  recognition  of  friends,  after  a  short 
parting  from  them  in  this  world,  is  just  a  type  or  a 
symbol  of  that  which  is  taking  place  among  friends 
when  they  rise  at  their  death  from  earth,  and  meet  in 
heaven  beneath  God's  covenant-presence,  and  under 
the  sunshine  of  God's  approving  love. 

I  now  proceed  to  notice  some  of  the  sources  of  evidence 
for  this  recognition  of  friends. 

PROOF   FIRST. RECOGNITION  A   DOCTRINE    OF 

NATURAL   RELIGION. 

The  recognition  of  friends  in  heaven  is  a  dictate  of 
natural  religion.  Eve?i  those  who  did  not  enjoy  the 
light  of  revelation  believed  in  it.  The  resurrection  of 
the  body  is  not  a  doctrine  of  natural  religion.  Apart 
from  the  revelations  and  the  intimations  of  Scripture, 
the  thought  that  the  buried  bodies  of  the  dead  are  to 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     155 

be  raised  seems  never  to  have  entered  the  human  mind. 
Panl  is  stigmatized  as  a  babbler  becauee  he  preached 
at  Athens  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  The  view 
which  unenlightened  reason  takes  of  the  destiny  of  the 
body  of  man  is,  that,  when  it  is  committed  by  surviving 
and  sorrowful  friends  to  the  cold  bed  of  the  grave,  it 
is  to  sleep  there  for  ever.  The  thought  of  a  coming 
resurrection-morning,  when  the  buried  bodies  of  all 
the  dead  are  to  awake  and  to  rise  as  Lazarus  did  at  the 
call  of  Jesus,  never  gleamed  in  with  its  ray  of  comfort, 
apart  from  revelation,  upon  the  dark  and  sorrowful 
heart  of  the  bereaved.  The  heathen  philosophers  saw 
the  nights  successively*  pass  over  them ;  they  saw  the 
morning  dawn  :  but  the  thought  that  a  morning  was 
coming  to  the  grave  never  once  entered  their  mind. 
The  spring  came,  and  breathed  upon  the  earth  with  its 
generative  warmth  ;  the  flowers  sprang  np  around  the 
human  family  :  but  the  expectation  of  a  spring  coming 
to  the  grave  never  once  suggested  itself  to  the  thoughts 
of  the  unenlightened  reason  of  man. 

It  is  different  in  reference  to  the  soul.  Apart  from 
revelation,  men  have  in  all  ages  believed  in  the  exist- 
ence of  the  soul  after  death.  Man's  immortality  is  a 
doctrine  of  natural  religion.  Men  in  every  age  and 
in  every  clime  have  believed  that  the  soul  survives  the 
shock  of  death,  and  lives  after  the  body  in  which  it 
once  dwelt  goes  to  sleep.  Further,  men  have  almost 
as  universally  believed  in  the  doctrine  of  the  recogni- 
tion of  friends  in  their  disembodied  state.     Immortality 


156     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

and  this  recognition  are  the  almost  universal  response 
of  humanity.  Examples  will  suggest  themselves  to 
the  reader  of  history.  The  source  of  this  universal 
belief  may  be  either  tradition  or  desire  for  it. 


PROOF   SECOND. SCRIPTURE   TEACHES  RECOG- 
NITION. 

The  Scriptures  both  assume  and  teach  the  doctrine  of 
tttognition.  I  may  here  allude  to  the  amount  of  proof 
whidi  we  may  reasonably  suppose  the  Scriptures  will 
afford  in  support  of  this  tenet.  There  is  a  principle 
upon  which  God  seems  generally  to  proceed  when 
giving  us  evidence  in  confirmation  of  any  doctrine  of 
his  blessed  gospel.  Those  doctrines  that  we  feel 
indisposed  to  receive  and  believe,  or  which  are  calcu- 
lated to  crush  the  pride  of  man,  are  largely  proved, 
and  much  insisted  upon  :  such  as  those  of  human 
depravity;  the  incarnation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  the  per- 
sonality of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  his  work  of  grace 
upon  the  soul  of  man ;  salvation  by  faith  through  the 
imputed  righteousness  of  Christ  alone  ;  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body ;  the  fulness  and  distinctness  of  the 
last  judgment ;  the  final  and  eternal  separation  of 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked  ;  the  exile  of  the  lost  into 
hell  for  ever ;  and  the  rising  of  the  saved  to  enter 
heaven,  to  dwell  there  in  a  home  of  love  for  eternity. 

Those  doctrines  of  revelation,  on  the  contrary, 
which  we  have  &  predisposition  to  receive  and  believe, 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     157 

are  not  so  fully  and  distinctly  set  forth ;  such  as  the 
existence  of  God  (a  doctrine,  in  fact,  which  the  Scrip- 
tures do  not  prove,  but  assume) ,  the  immortality  of 
the  soul,  the  beatific  vision,  the  full  and  unveiled  view 
of  God  above  in  his  glory,  the  communion  of  saints 
and  of  angels  in  heaven  through  eternity  as  the  mem- 
bers of  the  same  family,  our  body  after  our  resurrec- 
tion bearing  the  exact  and  holy  image  of  Jesus,  the 
recognition  of  our  friends  in  heaven. 

There  are  many  passages,  both  in  the  Old  and  also 
in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures,  in  which  the  doc- 
trine is  assumed  and  incidentally  alluded  to  ;  such  as, 
"  Then  Abraham  gave  up  the  ghost,  and  died  in  a 
good  old  age,  an  old  man  and  full  of  years,  and  was 
gathered  to  his  people."  "And  Isaac  gave  up  the 
ghost,  and  died,  and  was  gathered  unto  his  people, 
being  an  old  man  and  full  of  days."  "And,  when 
Jacob  had  made  an  end  of  commanding  his  sons,  he 
gathered  up  his  feet  into  the  bed,  and  yielded  up  the 
ghost,  and  was  gathered  u?ito  his  people."  To  Moses, 
God  says,  "  Get  thee  up,  and  die  in  the  mount 
whither  thou  goest  up,  and  be  gathered  unto  thy  peo- 
ple ;  as  Aaron  thy  brother  died  in  Mount  Hor,  and 
was  gathered  unto  his  people."  The  expression,  "  ga- 
thered unto  his  people,"  does  not  refer  to  the  bodies 
lying  in  the  family  tombs  of  those  alluded  to,  but  to 
the  souls  of  their  ancestors.  The  two  mounts  upon 
which  Aaron  and  Moses  respectively  died  and  were 
buried  were  not  the  sepulchres  of  their  ancestors. 


158     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

The  cave  where  Abraham  was  buried  was  not  the 
sepulchre  of  his  ancestors.  David  says,  "  I  shall  go 
to  him  ;  but  he  shall  not  return  to  me."  w  Hell  from 
beneath  is  moved  for  thee,  to  meet  thee  at  thy  com- 
ing :  it  stirreth  up  the  dead  for  thee,  even  the  chief 
ones  of  the  earth ;  it  hath  raised  up  from  their  thrones 
all  the  kings  of  the  nations.  All  they  shall  speak, 
and  say  unto  thee,  Art  thou  also  become  weak  as 
we  ?  art  thou  become  like  unto  us  ? "  "  Make  to 
yourselves  friends  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness  ; 
that,  when  ye  fail,  they  may  receive  you  into  everlast- 
ing habitations."  Without  quoting  any  more  passages 
from  the  Bible  in  which  the  doctrine  of  recognition  is 
merely  assumed,  I  will  now  allude  to  a  few  in  which 
it  is  directly  and  distinctly  taught. 

It  is,  perhaps,  proper  to  make  the  remark,  that 
even  one  direct  statement  made  by  God  in  the  Bible 
is  quite  sufficient  to  prove  the  doctrine  of  recognition 
to  the  satisfaction  of  every  one  who  reverences  the 
word  of  inspiration.  "Abraham  said,  Son,  remem- 
ber that  thou  in  thy  lifetime  receivedst  thy  good 
things,  and  Lazarus  evil  things  ;  but  now  he  is  com- 
forted, and  thou  art  tormented."  This  passage 
plainly  teaches  us  that  Abraham  recognizes  Lazarus, 
and  associates  with  him,  in  the  world  of  glory,  speaks 
of  him  by  name,  and  is  familiarly  acquainted  with  his 
earthly  history.  Christ's  transfiguration  scene  teaches 
the  doctrine  of  the  recognition  of  friends.  Moses 
and  Elias,  two  glorified  saints  from  heaven,   appear 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     159 

there  in  companionship.  The  same  subject  engrosses 
the  thoughts  of  both.  They  speak  to  Jesus  of  the 
decease  which  he  was  to  accomplish  at  Jerusalem. 
The  Apostle  Paul  thus  addresses  his  Thessalonian  con- 
verts :  "For  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of 
rejoicing?  Are  not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his  coming  ?  "  These  converts 
could  only  become  the  apostle's  joy  by  his  recognition 
of  them  in  Christ's  presence.  Jesus  thus  addresses 
his  disciples  who  were  sorrowing  at  the  thought  of 
his  departure  :  "And  ye  now,  therefore,  have  sorrow  : 
but  I  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice  ; 
and  your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you."  The  Lord 
Jesus  here  gives  the  intimation,  that  the  disciples  were 
to  see  him,  and  associate  with  him  in  glory  ;  and,  con- 
sequently, they  were  to  associate  with  each  other. 
The  apostles  knew  Jesus  when  they  met  him  after  his 
resurrection.  "  The  men  of  Nineveh,"  M  the  queen  of 
the  south,"  will  be  known  and  recognized  at  the 
judgment-throne,  when  they  appear  there  as  wit- 
nesses against  the  Jews  who  despised  and  rejected 
Jesus.  It  is  not  necessary  to  bring  more  Scripture 
proofs  for  this  doctrine.  This  source  of  evidence  is 
open  to  all  who  have  the  Bible  in  their  hands.  I  will 
rather  now  proceed  to  give  some  evidences  for  the 
doctrine  which  are  not  so  patent. 


CHAPTER  H. 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS   IN  HEAYEN  (continued). 


VROOF  THIRD. 


HEAVEN    A    HOME    PROVES   RECOG- 
NITION. 


HE  fact  that  heaven  is  a  home,  proves,  as  I  have 
already  said,  recognition. 
Those  who  live  in  the  same  home  upon  earth 
are  not  strangers ;  they  have  a  knowledge  of  each 
other  ;  an  acquaintanceship  and  fellowship  exist  among 
them.  It  is  the  same  in  heaven.  Those  who  are  there 
are  the  members  of  the  same  family,  and,  as  such,  have 
free  communication  and  intercourse.  They  are  in  pos- 
session of  language ;  they  can  speak  to  each  other ; 
they  can  sing  ;  they  can  both  put  and  answer  questions. 
"And  one  of  the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me, 
What  are  these  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  ?  and 
whence  came  they?  And  I  said  unto  him,  Sir,  thou 
knowest.  And  he  said  to  me,  These  are  they  which 
came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their 
robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 
Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  serve 

[1601 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     161 

him  day  and  night  in  his  temple."  "  Then  I  heard  one 
saint  speaking ;  and  another  saint  said  unto  that  cer- 
tain saint  which  spake,  How  long  shall  be  the  vision 
concerning  the  daily  sacrifice,  and  the  transgression 
of  desolation,  to  give  both  the  sanctuary  and  the  host 
to  be  trodden  under  foot  ?  " 

Those  who  are  in  heaven  are  in  possession  of  their 
memories.  The  souls  under  the  altar  remember  the 
earth,  and  the  death  they  endured  upon  it,  as  well  as 
the  means  by  which  they  were  redeemed,  — the  blood 
of  Christ.  Those  in  heaven,  as  is  manifest  from  many  j 
passages  of  Scripture,  have  a  full  remembrance  of  the 
past.  With  this  faculty,  I  ask,  granting  that  we  will 
not  have  an  intuitive  recognition,  How  long  will  we 
live  with  them  after  our  meeting  there  till  we  come  to 
know  those  who  had  once  fellowship  with  us  in  the 
bonds  of  a  hallowed  friendship  upon  earth? 

Suppose  you  take  up  your  lodging  for  a  night  in  a 
hotel,  and  meet  two  strangers  in  the  public  room,  with 
whom  you  take  supper  :  if  they  be  truthful  and  com 
municative,  and  if  you  enter  into  conversation  with 
them,  you  will  find  that  one  single  hour  will  not  pasa 
over  you  until  you  are  put  in  possession  of  a  pretty 
extensive  knowledge  of  their  past  lives ;  to  what  coun- 
try they  belong,  where  they  were  born,  what  are  or 
were  the  names  of  their  parents ;  what  brothers  or 
sisters  they  have,  with  their  names ;  if  married,  to 
whom ;  and  what  are  the  names  of  their  children 
through  what  countries  they  have  travelled,  what  they 


162      RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

have  seen,  and  from  what  place  they  had  come  pre- 
vious to  the  time  when  you  met  them. 

The  same  facility  for  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
past  lives  of  those  we  meet  exists  in  heaven.  Know- 
ledge is  perfected  there.  How  much  more  enlarged, 
then,  will  your  acquaintanceship  be  with  each  other, 
when  you,  who  are  the  children  of  God,  come  to  meet, 
not  for  an  hour  at  supper,  but  for  eternity,  in  an  abid- 
ing and  unchanging  home,  and  that  in  the  presence  of 
your  common  Father,  and  enjoying  the  freest  inter- 
course with  your  blessed  Redeemer,  as  well  as  with 
each  other  !  By  that  free  intercourse  alone,  even  if 
no  other  mode  existed,  you  will  come  to  know  those 
who  wrere  your  bosom  companions  upon  earth,  who 
lived  with  you  in  the  same  home,  who  stood  towards 
you  once  in  the  nearest  and  dearest  relationships  of 
life,  who  walked  with  you  in  the  covenant  of  your 
God,  with  whom  you  took  sweet  counsel,  and  went 
up  to  the  house  of  God  in  company. 

PROOF  FOURTH. ANALOGY  PROVES  RECOGNITION. 

Analogy  proves  that  there  will  be  the  recognition  of 
friends  in  heaven.  Suppose  the  case  of  two  brothers, 
who  spent  the  morning  of  life  together  in  their  beloved 
parents'  home.  They  wade  the  stream,  and  pull  the 
flowers,  and  climb  the  trees,  and  search  for  nests  to- 
gether ;  they  read  God's  Word  at  the  family  altar,  and 
sing  the  same  psalm  in  the  same  church.  In  God's 
providential  dealings  with  them,  these  boys  are  sepa- 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     163 

rated  whilst  rising  into  manhood  :  the  one  embarks  for 
Calcutta,  the  other  for  San  Francisco.  They  do  not 
meet,  nor  hear  from  each  other  by  letter,  for  the  long 
period  of  forty  years.  Suppose  these  two  brothers 
were  to  leave  respectively  the  land  of  their  adoption, 
and  were,  unknown  to  each  other,  by  one  of  those 
coincidences  in  the  providence  of  God  which  we  call 
chance,  to  meet  in  the  same  hotel  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope ;  suppose  that  they  were  so  much  changed  in 
their  appearance  that  they  did  not  recognize  each  other, 
and  were  to  enter  into  conversation  :  how  short  a  time 
would  pass  over  their  heads  until  some  expression 
would  be  used,  some  reference  to  the  past  made,  or  a 
question  put  respecting  where  they  were  born,  who 
were  their  parents,  where  they  had  come  from,  and 
whither  they  were  going,  which  would  reveal  to  them 
the  joyful  and  thrilling  discovery  that  they  were 
brothers,  and  that  the  same  fond  parents  had  watched 
over  them  in  the  days  of  their  boyhood  !  How  poor  a 
case  is  this  in  comparison  with  a  meeting  in  heaven, 
and  yet  with  the  points  of  analogy  so  well  fitted,  that 
we  cannot  escape  the  conviction,  that  the  one  is  a  type 
of  the  other ! 

How  slight  the  touch  from  which  recognition  springs  ! 
Two  young  men  entered  the  British  army,  who  were 
fellow-parishioners  in  their  boyhood ;  they  enlisted  in 
different  regiments  ;  they  did  not  meet  for  many  years. 
The  two  regiments  were  successively  sent  out  to  India, 
and  they  came  incidentally  to  be  stationed  in  the  same 


164     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

town.  These  two  young  men  were  thus  brought  into 
each  other's  company  occasionally,  both  upon  parade 
and  also  in  pleasure-excursions ;  but  they  did  not 
recognize  each  other.  One  day,  whilst  together  at  the 
canteen,  a  fall  of  snow  had  taken  place,  which  was 
succeeded  by  a  cold,  bleak,  and  drizzling  rain.  One  of 
them  happened  casually  to  make  the  remark,  f(  This  is 
a  Glentore  thaw."  The  other,  whose  attention  was  at 
once  arrested  by  the  name  of  the  locality  referred  to, 
asked  him,  "What  do  you  know  about  Glentore?" 
This  question  led  to  an  explanation,  and  that  expla- 
nation resulted  in  the  discovery,  that  they  were  not 
merely  fellow-Scotchmen,  but  had  been  born  in  the 
same  parish,  had  attended  the  same  school,  had  stood 
in  the  same  class,  had  played  on  the  same  village- 
green,  and  had  worshipped  God  in  the  same  church. 
Grant  that  the  glorified  have  the  gift  of  language 
in  heaven,  and  are  capable  of  speaking  to  each  other 
about  the  past ;  and  this  must  be  conceded,  or  some 
portions  of  the  Scriptures  must  be  rejected :  how 
long  will  those  who  were  friends  upon  earth  associate 
and  converse  in  their  home  of  love  and  of  fellowship 
in  eternity,  until  some  casual  remark,  or  some  refer- 
ence to  the  past,  or  some  question  put,  reveals  to 
them  the  important  discovery,  that  they  once  lived  in 
the  same  home  upon  earth,  were  once  the  members 
of  the  same  happy  family,  and  spent  life  together  in 
an  earnest,  persevering,  and  successful  preparation 
for  heaven? 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.      165 

Further,  angels  know  each  other  ;  and  they  appear, 
from  the  narratives  set  before  us  in  the  Bible,  to  have 
a  large  and  a  very  distinct  knowledge  of  the  members 
of  the  human  family, — not  those  in  heaven  merely, 
but  those  also  who  are  dwelling  far  beneath  them, 
and  distant  from  them,  upon  our  planet.  Why 
should  the  glorified  not  have  a  similar  acquaintance- 
ship with  all  the  children  of  God  in  glory,  as  well  as 
with  those  who  still  live  down  in  the  world  ?  Have 
they  not  become  perfected  in  knowledge,  and  like 
unto  the  angels?  The  angel  who  passed  over  the 
land  of  Egypt  had  no  difficulty,  so  far  as  we  are  told, 
in  selecting  the  first-born  child  in  every  home  which 
he  entered.  I  believe  that  messenger  of  woe  did  not 
commit  during  that  painful  night  one  single  blunder, 
by  killing  a  younger  in  mistake  for  the  first-born 
child  in  the  family.  Nor  can  I  read  the  inspired 
account  of  that  memorable  night,  without  feeling 
impressed  with  the  conviction,  that  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  Egypt  was  individually  and  minutely  known 
to  that  angelic  messenger,  whilst  hovering  with  the 
wings  of  death  over  that  devoted  land.  The  angel 
who  released  the  Apostle  Peter  from  prison  had  no 
difficulty  in  distinguishing  him  from  all  the  rest  of  the 
prisoners  who  were  confined  in  its  different  wards. 
The  angel  who  breasted  the  fury  of  the  Adriatic  Sea, 
and,  in  his  placid  and  peaceful  descent  from  heaven, 
lighted  upon  the  deck  of  that  vessel  in  which  Paul 
was  sailing,  and  around  which  the  waves  were  rolling 


166      RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

mountains  high,  had  no  difficulty  in  singling  out  him 
from  the  rest  of  the  passengers,  and  in  making  this 
announcement :  "  Fear  not,  Paul :  thou  must  be 
brought  before  Caesar ;  and,  lo,  God  hath  given 
thee  all  them  that  sail  with  thee."  The  angel  who 
appears  to  Cornelius  has  a  distinct  knowledge  of  the 
Apostle  Peter's  movements,  and  of  the  house  in 
which  he  was  lodged,  as  is  evident  from  this  com- 
mand :  "And  now  send  men  to  Joppa,  and  call  for 
one  Simon,  whose  surname  is  Peter.  He  lodgeth 
with  one  Simon,  a  tanner,  whose  house  is  by  the 
seaside :  he  shall  tell  thee  what  thou  oughtest  to 
do." 

If  angels  know  the  members  of  the  human  family 
so  minutely,  as  the  facts  I  have  referred  to  clearly 
demonstrate,  why  should  the  members  of  the  human 
family  not  know  each  other,  and  recognize  each 
other,  when  they  meet  in  a  higher  and  more  per- 
fected state  of  knowledge,  and  become  like  to  those 
angels  in  love  and  wisdom  ? 

Abraham  shows,  in  his  address  to  the  rich  man  in 
hell,  that  he  has  a  distinct  and  minute  knowledge  both 
of  his  previous  life,  and  of  the  life  of  Lazarus.  We 
are  not  told  how  Abraham  gained  this  knowledge ; 
but  surely  the  same  source  of  communication  and  of 
information  to  which  he  had  access  is  open  to  all  the 
children  of  God.  Moreover,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
during  his  sojourn  here,  was  an  exemplification  in  all 
things  of  the  life  which  the  glorified  of  God  are  living 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.      167 

in  heaven, — his  humiliation  and  pains  and  sorrows 
excepted.  Did  the  Lord  Jesus,  whilst  here  in  the 
world,  live  in  a  state  of  isolation  and  estrangement 
from  those  who  were  round  about  him?  Did  he 
discountenance  holy  friendship,  and  frown  upon  it? 
Did  he  show  in  his  earthly  life,  that  the  social  affec- 
tions did  not  exist  in  his  bosom  ?  The  very  reverse 
is  the  case.  The  Lord  Jesus  came  down  from 
heaven  into  this  world  to  destroy  sin,  not  to  annihilate 
friendship,  not  to  eradicate  the  social  affections  from 
the  bosoms  of  his  people.  The  disciples  were  the 
companions  and  the  friends  of  their  Lord  and  Master. 
He  who  is  God  over  all,  blessed  for  ever,  con- 
descended to  speak  to  them,  and  to  hold  intercourse 
with  them  in  all  the  familiarity  of  the  most  loving, 
holy,  and  intimate  friendship.  The  members  of  the 
family  at  Bethany  were  the  peculiar  objects  of  the 
Redeemer's  regard  :  "  Now,  Jesus  loved  Martha  and 
her  sister,  and  Lazarus."  The  Apostle  John  was 
known  by  the  appellation,  "  the  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved."  Mary  Magdalene  met  Jesus  after  his  resur- 
rection, near  to  the  tomb  in  which  he  had  been  laid, 
and  became  conscious  it  was  he  by  the  tone  of 
endearment  with  which  he  pronounced  her  name. 
If  the  Lord  Jesus  thus  cherished  holy  friendship 
whilst  upon  earth,  and  exemplified  a  peculiar  attach- 
ment to  particular  individuals,  and  cultivated  the 
social  affections  as  they  are  exhibited  in  our  friend- 
ships with  our  bosom  friends,  upon  what  principle, 


168      RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

for  what  reason,  will  Christ's  followers  in  heaven  be 
stripped  of  that  privilege? 

And,  lastly,  if  you  deprive  Christ's  followers  in 
heaven  of  their  social  affections,  you  strip  them  in  a 
great  measure  of  their  religion :  for  love  is  a  social 
feeling ;  and  take  away  love  from  the  bosoms  of  the 
saved,  and  what  kind  of  a  heaven  will  you  leave? 


CHAPTER  in. 


RECOGNITION  OF  FRIENDS   IN  HEAVEN   {continued). 

PROOF   FIFTH. THE  WAY   GOD'S   CHILDREN   ENTER 

HEAVEN   PROVES   RECOGNITION. 

ELIEVERS,  at  their  death,  enter  heaven  pub- 
licly and  triumphantly  ;  and  this  must  be  the 
source  of  recognition. 

I  believe  that  a  great  misconception  exists  in  the 
minds  and  views  of  many  Christians  respecting  the 
way  in  which  the  children  of  God  enter  into  heaven. 
The  generality  of  Christians,  if  they  think  about  the 
matter  at  all,  have,  some  way  or  another,  come  to 
cherish  the  vague,  visionary,  and  undefined  view,  that 
God's  children  ascend  into  heaven  at  death  as  silent, 
unperceived,  and  unnoticed  as  a  current  of  air  flows 
into  a  room,  or  as  a  new  thought  glides  into  our  minds 
whilst  we  are  sitting  in  the  midst  of  a  large  company, 
without,  of  course,  any  one  around  us  being  at  all 
aware  of  the  entrance  of  the  new-come  stranger. 

It  is  not  thus  believers  at  their  death  enter  into 
glory. 

8  [169] 


170     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

I  believe  that  the  way  in  which  the  Lord  Jesus 
entered  heaven  at  his  triumphant  ascension,  to  take 
possession  for  eternity  of  the  glory  which  he  had  with 
the  Father  before  the  world  was,  is  just  a  representa- 
tion of  what  takes  place  when  a  child  of  God  enjoys 
that  privilege.  What  were  the  circumstances  in  which 
the  Lord  Jesus  left  this  world  at  his  ascension,  and 
rose,  and  entered  into  his  kingdom  ?  He  left  it  as  a 
conqueror  leaves  the  battle-field,  where  he  has  over- 
thrown his  formidable  foes,  and  returns  home  in  the 
midst  of  the  plaudits  and  shoutings  of  assembled 
multitudes.  And  did  those  who  were  in  heaven  not 
expect  Christ's  ascension,  and  make  preparation  for  it? 
These  passages  of  Scripture  show  that  they  did,  and 
prove  to  us  that  Jesus  entered  heaven  openly,  tri- 
umphantly, and  gloriously,  observed  and  welcomed 
by  all  who  were  there,  attended  by  many  of  its  exult- 
ing inmates,  who  had  come  out  to  receive  him,  and, 
with  the  welcome  of  a  joyous  greeting,  to  hail  him 
home.  M  God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout,  the  Lord  with 
the  sound  of  a  trumpet."  "Lift  up  your  heads,  O 
ye  gates ;  and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors ; 
and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in.  Who  is  this 
King  of  glory?  The  Lord  strong  and  mighty,  the 
Lord  mighty  in  battle.  Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye 
gates  ;  even  lift  them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors  ;  and 
the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in.  Who  is  this  King 
of  glory?  The  Lord  of  hosts,  he  is  the  King  of 
glory."    "  I  saw  in  the  night  visions  ;  and,  behold,  one 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     171 

like  the  Son  of  man  came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
and  came  to  the  Ancient  of  days ;  and  they  brought 
him  near  before  him."  "And  when  he  had  spoken 
these  things,  while  they  beheld,  he  was  taken  up,  and 
a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight.  And,  while 
they  looked  steadfastly  toward  heaven  as  he  went  up, 
behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white  apparel ; 
which  also  said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye 
gazing  up  into  heaven  ?  This  same  Jesus,  which  is 
taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like 
manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven." 

Look,  again,  at  what  takes  place  when  Stephen 
dies.  This  is  the  description  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
gives  us  of  his  death:  "But  he,  being  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  looked  up  steadfastly  into  heaven,  and 
saw  the  glory  of  God,  and  Jesus  standing  on  the 
right  hand  of  God;  and  said,  Behold,  I  see  the 
heavens  opened,  and  the  Son  of  man  standing  on 
the  right  hand  of  God."  Stephen's  soul  does  not, 
when  his  body  becomes  inanimate,  rise,  and  slip  into 
heaven  unnoticed  and  unobserved  by  those  who  are 
there;  for  Jesus,  who  is  upon  the  throne,  rises  to 
welcome  his  faithful  confessor  up  into  the  joys  of  his 
Lord,  and  stretches  forth  his  arms  to  receive  the 
beloved  spirit.  Nor  can  it  be  asserted,  that  no  one 
in  heaven,  with  the  exception  of  Jesus,  noticed 
Stephen  at  his  entrance  there.  I  believe,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  there  was  not  one,  whether  angel  or  glo- 
rified saint,  who  did  not  share  in  the  interest  which 


172     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

Christ  himself  manifested,  and  who  did  not  join  in 
the  open  acknowledgment  which  Christ  himself  vouch- 
safed to  him  who  was  the  first  martyr  of  the  cross. 

What,  then,  happens  when  a  believer  falls  asleep  in 
Jesus  ?  We  may  again  have  recourse  to  an  earthly 
analogy.  When  a  child  is  born,  comes  into  the  world, 
and  is  ushered  into  the  domestic  circle  of  a  family 
where  love  and  union  and  godliness  reign,  does  no 
one  in  the  house  know  of  such  an  event?  Do  the 
doctor  and  the  nurse,  who  act  the  part  of  attending 
assistants,  know  nothing  about  the  matter?  Are  they 
asleep?  Does  the  little  stranger  arrive,  and  increase 
the  number  of  the  home-circle,  without  observation, 
until,  by  something  like  mere  accident,  some  one  in 
the  house  happens  to  look  to  the  little  bassinet,  and 
sees  the  stranger  nestling  there,  dressed  in  white,  lying 
asleep,  and  as  tranquil  as  if  Peace  had  come  down 
from  heaven  to  take  its  seat  upon  the  throne  of  silence  ? 
The  mother  knows  something  about  the  arrival  of  the 
little  one ;  and  I  suspect,  moreover,  there  is  not  one 
individual  in  the  home  who  does  not  anticipate  the 
event,  and  share  in  the  general  excitement.  Yerily, 
the  same  thing  takes  place  in  our  Father's  home 
above,  when  a  child  of  God  is  born  to  the  inheritance 
of  glory,  rises  at  the  hour  of  death  from  earth,  enters 
into  heaven,  and  becomes  a  member — not  for  time, 
but  for  eternity  —  of  God's  great  and  glorious  family. 

Again  :  death  to  the  believer  is  his  coronation.  From 
this  state  of  many  trials  and  troubles,  he  goes  to 


receive  a  kingdom,  to  ascend  a  throne,  and  to  wear  a 
crown,  —  a  crown  that  shall  never  fade  ^WaJy^&Be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a 
crown  of  life."  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant 
to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame, 
and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his  throne."  It 
surely  would  seem  strange  for  a  sovereign  to  be 
crowned  without  any  of  his  people  either  seeing  or 
hearing  of  a  ceremony,  which,  from  time  immemorial, 
has  been  attended  with  such  demonstrations  of  worldly 
grandeur  and  exultation.  And  how  much  more  illus- 
trious is  that  high  day  in  heaven,  when  a  child  of 
God  rises  from  earth,  more  than  a  conqueror  through 
Him  who  loved  him,  and  enters  into  his  kingdom,  that 
he  may  be  diademed  with  the  crown  of  glory  that  is 
never  to  fade ! 

Some  of  these  scenes  of  relationship,  as  they  rise 
to  the  mind,  transcend  all  our  earthly  experiences  of 
pleasure.  A  father  may  ascertain  that  his  own  child 
is  the  individual  crowned,  and  may  hear  her  name 
upon  the  lips  of  all ;  hear  her  name  announced  as 
one  worthy  of  that  crown  which  she  is  to  wear,  and 
of  the  high  place  she  is  to  occupy  for  ever.  But 
does  not  our  mind,  so  pleased  with  such  ecstatic 
visions,  reject  the  supposition,  that  that  father  shall 
not  know  that  it  is  his  daughter  who  is  the  object  of 
all  that  demonstration? 

Thus  the  public  entrance  of  the  children  of  God 
into  heaven,  the  public  announcement  of  their  name 


174     RECOGNITION   OF   FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

as  they  enter  to  join  the  family  of  the  blessed  above, 
and  the  tide  of  new  joy  that  rolls  over  the  assemblies 
as  a  holy  welcome  given  to  the  new-comer,  will  secure 
their  recognition  by  their  friends  who  are  there  before 
them. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


RECOGNITION   OF   FRIENDS   IN  HEAVEN   {continued). 


FROOF  SIXTH. THE  CONDITION  OR  STATE  IN  WHICH 

god's  CHILDREN  ENTER  HEAVEN  AT  DEATH  MUST 
SECURE  THEIR  RECOGNITION  BY  FORMER  FRIENDS 
WHO   ARE    THERE. 

HAT  is  that  state  ?  I  will  first  mention  what 
it  is  not.  God's  children  do  not  enter 
heaven  at  their  death  inanimate,  and  de- 
prived of  the  power  of  thought.  They  do  not  enter 
heaven  leaving  their  memories  and  their  intellectual 
faculties  behind  them.  They  do  not  enter  heaven 
stripped  of  their  social  affections,  and  thus  rendered 
unfitted  for  the  companionship  of  God's  children  who 
are  already  there.  They  do  not  enter  heaven  selfish 
and  careless  about  their  once  dear  friends,  who  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus  before  them. 

What,  then,  is  the  state  in  which  the  children  of 
God  enter  heaven  ?  They  do  so  living,  and  with  all 
the  faculties  of  their  souls  retained  and  in  full  ope- 
ration.    It  is  the  body  merely  that  may  be  said  to 


176     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN   HEAVEN. 

die  at  death :  the  soul  lives,  and  even  acquires  new 
powers  and  susceptibilities  whilst  death  is  taking 
place.  To  the  glorified,  death  is  jubilee, — emanci- 
pation from  sin  and  suffering  and  sorrow.  God's 
children  enter  heaven,  even  as  we  may  suppose  an 
affectionate  child  that  has  been  some  time  absent 
enters  his  or  her  father's  home,  to  join  the  beloved 
circle  who  are  dwelling  there.  They  enter  with  the 
same  interest  about  their  past  journey  in  life,  and 
about  the  events  that  happened  to  them  by  the  way, 
that  the  pilgrim  feels  when  he  returns  to  his  dwelling, 
and  gives  an  account  to  its  members  of  all  that  he 
has  passed  through.  They  enter  with  the  same  eager 
curiosity  after  those  who  were  dear  to  them  upon 
earth,  that  the  emigrant  feels  when  he  lands  upon 
the  shore  of  that  country  to  which  his  father  and 
mother  and  wife  and  children  and  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, and  many  other  acquaintances  and  neighbors, 
sailed  before  him,  and  in  which  they  are  settled. 
Above  all,  God's  children  enter  heaven  at  death  with 
their  memory  in  full  exercise,  and  with  a  fall  remem- 
brance of  their  past  lives,  and  consequently  of  their 
former  friends. 

This  is  evident  from  various  passages  of  Scripture. 
The  rich  man  mentioned  in  the  Gospels  remembers 
his  five  brethren,  his  and  their  former  life ;  and  in 
the  exercise  of  judgment,  conjoined  with  memory,  he 
infers  that  his  five  brethren  are  in  danger  of  coming 
into  the  same  place  of  torment.     The  whole  of  the 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS   IN  HEAVEN.     177 

passage  connected  with  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus 
proves  that  those  who  are  in  the  great  world  of  eter- 
nity —  both  those  who  are  in  heaven  and  those  who 
are  in  hell  —  have  a  full  and  distinct  remembrance 
of  the  past. 

To  the  lost,  this  remembrance  is  a  source  of  misery  : 
for  they  remember  their  day  of  grace  squandered ; 
their  precious  privileges  misimproved ;  the  offer  of 
salvation  put  away  from  them ;  God  trifled  with, 
whilst  he  called  them  to  repentance,  and  waited  to  be 
gracious,  and  wished  to  save  them;'  Christ  and  his 
great  salvation  rejected  and  lost  for  ever. 

To  the  saved,  this  remembrance  of  the  past  is  a 
source  of  joy.  Lazarus  can  thus  compare  his  riches 
in  heaven  with  his  poverty  upon  earth,  his  exalta- 
tion in  heaven  with  his  degradation  and  outcast 
condition  in  life,  his  misery  and  wretchedness  at  the 
rich  man's  gate  with  the  delights  and  joys  of  his  Fa- 
ther's home. 

It  is  difficult  to  say  why  the  rich  man  mad*3  the 
request,  that  Lazarus  should  leave  heaven  for  a  short 
season,  and  visit  his  father's  house  upon  a  special  mis- 
sion of  warning  to  his  brothers.  It  might  be  made 
in  sympathy.  He  might  retain  so  much  of  the  feel- 
ings of  humanity,  even  in  hell,  as  to  lead  him  to  pity 
the  case  of  his  five  brothers  who  had  been,  during 
his  life,  encouraged  in  their  path  of  guilt  by  his  evil 
example  ;  and  he  might  honestly  wish  that  they  might 
be  delivered  from  the  awful  doom  to  which  he  had 

8* 


178     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

been  subjected.  The  request  might  also  be  made 
through  a  selfish  motive.  These  brothers  were  per- 
haps seduced  and  led  into  sin  through  his  example  ; 
and  thus  he  might  dread  the  sight  and  the  presence  of 
them  with  him  in  hell,  lest  this  should  add  fuel  to  the 
fire  with  which  he  was  consumed.  The  request  of 
the  rich  man  plainly  implies  that  the  lost  remem- 
ber the  past.  They  have  not  lost  their  memories.  Have 
the  saved  in  heaven  lost  theirs  ?  Abraham  remem- 
bers the  past,  and  reminds  the  rich  man  of  his  former 
^ood  things  which  he  had  lost  for  ever.  He  remem- 
bers  also  the  poverty  of  Lazarus  upon  earth,  which 
had  been  exchanged  for  the  riches  of  glory. 

The  passage  in  the  Book  of  Revelation  which  I 
have  already  quoted,  and  in  which  the  souls  of  the 
martyrs  who  are  under  the  altar  put  this  question, 
w  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not 
judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them  that  dwell  on 
the  earth?"  plainly  proves  that  the  glorified  in  heaven 
have  not  forgotten  the  scenes  of  earth.  These  mar- 
tyrs, who  appeal  to  the  truth  and  to  the  holiness  of 
God,  remember  the  earth  where  they  suffered,  and 
the  bloody  death  which  they  endured  upon  it  at  the 
hand  of  their  murderers.  If  those,  who  have  been 
cruelly  put  to  death  for  the  word  of  God  and  for  the 
testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  remember  so  vividly  in 
heaven  the  bloody  scene  of  their  death  upon  earth, 
do  the  rest  of  the  glorified  not  remember  their  peace- 
ful  death-bed  ?  —  the  friends  who   surrounded  them 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     179 

there,  and  who  tried,  with  all  the  attentions  which 
experience  and  love  could  suggest,  to  mitigate  the 
sufferings  of  their  last  hours ;  the  minister  who 
spoke  to  them  of  heaven  as  their  Father's  house,  and  of 
Jesus  as  the  way  to  it,  and  who  prayed  that  God  would 
manifest  his  covenant  love  to  them,  and  sustain  them 
by  the  riches  of  his  grace  when  their  heart  and  flesh 
began  to  faint  and  to  fail,  and  that  Jesus  would 
vouchsafe  his  guidance  to  them  to  conduct  them  in 
safety  to  their  eternal  home  of  love ;  the  last  look 
they  got  of  some  beloved  one,  whom  they  saw 
bathed  in  tears,  when  their  eyes  closed  upon  all  that 
is  sublunary  ;  when  the  dark  night  of  death,  suddenly 
coming  down  upon  them,  hid  the  whole  material 
things  that  were  around  them  from  their  view. 

Yes,  the  whole  countless  multitudes  of  the  saved 
who  are  with  Christ  in  glory  remember  the  homes 
where  they  once  lived ;  where  they  were  born  from 
above,  and  became  through  grace  the  new  creation 
of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  ;  where  they  obtained  peace 
with  God,  and  liberty  of  access,  through  faith,  into 
the  grace  wherein  God's  children  stand.  They  re- 
member all  the  way  by  which  the  God  of  their  salva- 
tion led  them  whilst  struggling  here  with  giant 
evils.  They  remember  the  dear  friends  through  whose 
conversation  and  advices  and  example  and  prayers 
they  felt  themselves  advanced  in  the  divine  life,  and 
prepared  for  that  home  of  love  which  they  have  en- 
tered for  eternity. 


180     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

Every  song  which  the  redeemed  in  glory  sing, 
commemorating  in  the  praises  of  eternity  the  finished 
work  of  Jesus  and  the  efficacy  of  his  shed  blood, 
shows  that  they  have  a  remembrance  of  the  past,  that 
they  are  in  full  possession  of  the  faculty  of  memory. 
Hence  those  ascriptions  of  praise  to  Jesus  which 
they  raise  before  the  throne  :  "  Thou  wast  slain,  and 
hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every 
kindred  and  tongue  and  people  and  nation."  "  Sal- 
vation to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon  the  throne, 
and  unto  the  Lamb."  Can  the  glorified  forget  what 
they  read  in  their  Bibles  about  the  shedding  of  Christ's 
blood  upon  earth,  as  they  stand  with  Jesus  in  white 
upon  the  hill  of  the  heavenly  Zion  ?  Do  those  who 
stood  with  the  Apostle  John  upon  the  hill  of  Calvary, 
and  who  saw  the  blood  of  Immanuel  crimsoning  the 
cross,  now  forgot  what  they  beheld  there  ?  Do  all  in 
heaven  forget  the  time  when  the  blood  of  Jesus  was 
sprinkled  by  the  Holy  Spirit  —  if  I  may  so  express 
myself —  upon  the  mercy-seat  of  their  souls  ;  when 
they  obtained  redemption  through  that  oblation,  the 
forgiveness  of  sin  according  to  the  riches  of  God's 
grace?  Do  they  forget  also  the  means  which  the 
God  of  their  salvation  used  through  the  agency  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  apply  to  their  consciences  and 
hearts  the  blood  of  atonement ;  the  mother  who 
first  taught  them  to  pray,  and  to  ask  for  the  new  heart 
from  God ;  the  father  who  so  often  led  their  devo- 
tions at  the  family  altar,  and  prayed  for  them  to  God 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     181 

that  he  would  bestow  upon  them  the  great  salvation 
that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,  with  all  the  unction  and 
fervency  of  a  holy  earnestness ;  the  minister  who 
first,  by  his  evangelical  preaching,  so  full  of  love, 
nay,  so  full  of  Christ,  led  them  to  give  heed  to  the 
things  that  belong  to  their  eternal  peace  ;  the  friend 
that  was  led  by  the  constraining  influences  of  a  Sa- 
viour's love  to  speak  to  them  for  Christ  and  about 
Christ  upon  a  particular  sabbath  evening,  it  may 
be,  and  in  a  particular  room,  when  they  for  the  first 
time  tasted  the  word  of  God,  and  felt  upon  their 
souls  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come? 

It  is  said  that  this  somewhat  strange  effect  happens 
to  a  person  in  the  act  of  drowning ;  for,  some  time 
preceding  death,  the  events  and  actions  of  the  indi- 
vidual's whole  past  life  flash  in  full  array  upon  the 
memory,  as  if  a  life-panorama  were  suddenly  held  up 
to  view  by  an  invisible  hand.  May  this  not  be  a  fore- 
shadowing of  what  takes  place  to  every  individual  for 
some  moments  before  dissolution,  and  through  eternity 
after  ?  Is  it  not  possible  that  the  soul  of  one  a-dying 
leaves  the  fallen  and  motionless  body,  the  weeping, 
bereaved  relatives,  the  chamber  of  dissolution,  and 
rises  and  enters  heaven,  with  a  far  stronger  memory, 
a  clearer,  minuter,  and  far  more  vivid  recollection  of  the 
whole  past  of  his  life,  than  he  ever  possessed  before  ? 
In  heaven,  we  are  to  be  made  perfect  in  knowledge. 
Memory  is  the  storehouse  in  which  our  knowledge  is 
chiefly  deposited.     If,  then,  we  are  deprived  of  our 


182      RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS   IN  HEAVEN. 

memory,  we  would  be  led  to  wonder  why  it  is  that 
Christ  has  conferred  upon  us  a  reward,  and  why  there 
are  differences  in  glory  among  the  saints  in  heaven. 

Again :  the  children  of  God  enter  heaven  in  posses- 
sion of  their  judgment,  and  with  all  their  reasoning 
powers  in  full  exercise.  Surely  no  one  supposes  that 
God's  glorified  children  are  like  those  hibernating 
creatures,  who,  during  winter,  live  in  a  dormant  state, 
and  that  the  resurrection-morning  must  first  usher  in 
the  spring  that  is  to  be  followed  by  an  eternal  summer 
before  they  awake  fully  to  life  and  intelligence.  Those 
who  are  in  heaven  have  entered  it  in  the  full  possession 
of  all  their  intellectual  powers,  and  they  are  exercising 
them. 

They  are  doubtless  comparing  eternity  that  is  now 
encircling  them  with  the  time  that  was,  and  will  be  no 
more  ;  heaven  that  is,  and  will  be,  with  the  earth  that 
was,  and  will  not  be  ;  the  light  of  heaven,  where  they 
need  no  candle,  neither  light  of  the  sun,  with  the 
luminaries  of  earth,  subject  to  extinction  ;  the  appear- 
ance of  the  glorified,  compared  with  the  sinful  chil- 
dren of  Adam ;  the  lingering  traces,  it  may  be,  and 
faint  resemblance,  it  may  be,  in  the  form  and  features 
of  those  whom  they  meet  in  heaven,  with  what  their 
friends  were  when  they  left  them. 

The  question  has  been  put,  Does  the  disembodied 
soul  of  the  glorified  retain  something  of  the  form  and 
the  features  of  the  body  in  which  it  once  dwelt  ?  Angels 
have  form  and  feature.     Souls  disembodied  must  have 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.      183 

such  attributes  ;  and  it  may  be  that  it  is  the  features 
of  the  soul  shining  in  and  through  the  features  of  the 
body  that  we  behold  when  we  look  into  the  face  of  a 
friend  :  for  look  upon  the  same  countenance  after 
death  ;  and,  oh,  what  a  change  !  —  so  changed,  to  use 
a  mean  figure,  as  the  face  of  the  lantern  is  when  the 
candle  is  blown  out.  Whilst  the  candle  burns  within, 
is  it  not  its  form  and  appearance,  and  not  those  of  the 
lantern  merely,  that  you  saw  when  you  looked  upon  it 
and  enjoyed  its  light? 

It  seems  to  be  the  same  with  the  soul  and  body  of 
man.  The  soul,  in  its  disembodied  and  glorified  state, 
may  assuredly  retain  something,  for  any  thing  to  the 
contrary  known  to  us,  of  the  form  and  features  of  the 
body  which  it  once  inhabited.  The  child  bears  a 
resemblance  to  the  parent.  It  may  be,  that  through 
this,  and  in  this  way,  the  glorified  who  are  in  heaven 
may  come,  in  the  exercise  of  their  judgment  and  obser- 
vation, to  recognize  their  friends  when  they  meet  them 
there,  changed,  glorified,  beautified  though  they  be, 
compared  with  what  they  were  when  they  last  looked 
upon  them  in  the  world. 

There  is  not  merely  a  something  in  each  individual 
member  of  the  human  family  which  constitutes  iden- 
tity :  there  is  a  something  also  which  constitutes  p.  r- 
sonality,  or  individuality.  It  has  been  observed,  that 
amongst  the  millions  and  millions  of  the  human  family 
who  have  appeared  successively  upon  earth,  two  per- 
sons have  not  been  found  whose  countenances  have 


184     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

been  in  every  respect  exactly  alike  :  each  has  a  pecu- 
liarity and  an  individuality  of  aspect ;  and  it  is  only 
trite  to  say,  it  is  this  infinite  variety  that  enables  us  to 
distinguish  the  one  from  the  other. 

This  personality  of  aspect,  and  individuality  of  ap- 
pearance, continue  to  exist  during  the  various  changes 
through  which  an  individual  passes  from  childhood  to 
youth,  and  from  youth  to  old  age.  The  individual 
changes  in  size,  and  also  in  appearance ;  but,  in  the 
midst  of  these  mutations,  there  is  a  something  peculiar 
retained,  which  never  altogether  disappears. 

For  any  thing  that  we  can  tell,  this  peculiarity  of  the 
form,  expression,  and  aspect  of  the  countenance,  may 
continue  for  ever  :  indeed,  analogy  is  in  favor  of  the 
supposition.  What  efforts  do  we  make  to  discover  a 
missing  relative  !  and  do  we  not  persevere  until  we 
generally  succeed?  Paul,  as  we  have  said,  succeeded 
in  discovering  Onesimus  in  the  great  and  crowded  city 
of  Rome,  then  the  metropolis  of  the  world.  Will  ye, 
after  a  search  made  through  all  eternity,  not  succeed 
in  discovering  your  friends  in  the  metropolis  of  the 
universe?  The  mystic  spouse  went  into  the  midst  of 
the  city  in  search  of  Him  whom  her  soul  loved.  She 
went  up  and  down  its  crowded  streets.  She  inquired 
at  the  watchman  for  her  Beloved.  She  used  all  the 
means  that  were  within  her  reach  to  discover  him, 
until  at  last  she  met  him  :  then,  with  a  heart  glowing 
in  love,  she  held  him,  and  would  not  let  him  go. 
And  will  ye  wander  in  sad  disappointment  for  ever 


RECOGNITION    OF  FRIENDS   IN  HEAVEN.     185 

through  the  streets  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and 
inquire  at  all  the  glorified  whom  you  meet,  and  will 
your  search  for  them  be  all  in  vain  ?  The  aspirations 
of  the  spirit  say,  "No." 

Some  years  ago,  a  boy,  four  years  of  age,  disap- 
peared one  day  whilst  playing  at  a  little  distance  from 
his  parents'  door.  The  most  diligent  search  was 
made  by  the  police,  by  the  distracted  parents,  and  by 
their  friends,  for  the  little  strayed  wanderer ;  but  it 
was  all  in  vain.  Upwards  of  two  years  after,  the 
father  of  the  boy  happened,  by  mere  accident,  to  turn 
into  the  police-office  whilst  passing  it,  merely  to  look 
in  idle  curiosity  at  what  was  transacting  there,  and 
to  loiter  away  a  few  minutes  which  he  had  at  his 
disposal.  When  he  entered,  the  magistrate  upon  the 
bench  had  just  passed  sentence  of  imprisonment 
against  a  woman  who  had  been  found  guilty  of  theft. 
She  was  still  seated  at  the  bar,  and  a  little  boy  was 
standing  at  her  side.  The  moment  the  father  saw 
the  boy,  he  recognized  him ;  and,  with  a  burst  of 
joyous  distraction,  he  cried  out,  "My  child!"  flew 
towards  him,  and  clasped  him  in  his  arms.  The  boy 
knew  his  father,  and,  recoiling  from  the  woman, 
clung  to  him.  The  woman,  however,  stoutly  and 
impudently  maintained  that  the  boy  was  her  own  son. 
The  father  appealed  to  the  scar  of  a  burn  under  the 
boy's  arm,  in  proof  of  the  truth  of  his  assertion. 
When  the  boy  was  stripped,  the  scar  was  there. 

Angels  probably  have,  in  the    midst    of  the    re- 


186     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

splendent  sameness  of  their  forms,  this  complexional 
dissimilarity,  this  individuality  of  aspect,  and  per- 
sonality of  appearance.  When  the  unfallen  angels 
meet  the  fallen,  whom  they  knew  and  with  whom  they 
once  associated  in  heaven,  do  they  not  know  them 
and  recognize  them  as  old  companions,  though  their 
countenances  doubtless  are  changed,  —  dark,  scowl- 
ing, and  degraded?  I  believe  the  glorified  retain, 
to  some  extent  at  least,  the  individuality  of  aspect 
which  they  once  possessed  upon  earth ;  and  by  this 
they  will  be  known  and  distinguished  by  their  re- 
spective names  and  forms  for  ever. 

We  are  not  entitled  to  suppose  that  God  the 
Father  will  not  discover  our  friends  to  us  when  we 
come  to  stand  before  him  in  glory ;  that  Jesus  our 
Saviour  will  not  say  in  those  high  courts  what  he 
said  to  the  Apostle  John,  as  he  stood  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross,  "Behold  thy  mother!"  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  will  not  impart  to  us  an  intuitive  knowledge  of 
our  friends,  and,  by  an  internal  impulse  upon  our 
souls,  bring  us  to  their  presence,  that  we  may  recog- 
nize them  and  discourse  with  them  ;  that  angels  will 
not  reveal  to  us  where  our  mothers  or  fathers,  sisters 
or  brothers,  sons  or  daughters,  are ;  that  none  of  the 
glorified  will  listen  to  our  inquiries.  But,  even 
under  such  an  extravagant  assumption,  can  it  be 
denied,  that  I  may  succeed  myself,  by  virtue  of  an 
intuition  not  altogether  independent  of  a  scrutiny, 
aided  by  memory  and  intelligence? 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS   IN    HEAVEN.     187 

Again :  God's  children  enter  heaven  in  possession  of 
all  their  social  affections.  This  proves  recognition. 
God  gives  us  no  part  either  of  our  corporeal  or 
mental  or  moral  or  social  constitution  in  vain.  We 
know  he  has  implanted  in  our  bosoms  a  longing  after 
immortality,  a  dread  and  recoil  at  the  very  thought 
of  annihilation.  So  has  he  provided  the  province  for 
the  realization  of  this  holy  aspiration,  in  the  gift  of 
eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Christianity  does  not  only  not  destroy  the  social 
affections  of  our  nature :  it  ennobles  and  purifies 
them.  Grace  is  not  given  to  eradicate  this  part  of 
our  moral  constitution,  but  to  etherealize  it ;  and  in 
the  recognition  of  our  friends  in  heaven,  and  in  the 
loving  intercourse  that  awaits  us  there  with  them, 
God  has  provided  one  province  for  the  development 
of  these  social  affections  on  and  on  without  end. 


CHAPTER  V. 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS   IN   HEAVEN   (continued). 


PROOF  SEVENTH. FRIENDS  MEET  IN  HEAVEN  AFTER 

HAVING  ASSOCIATED  FOR  A  SEASON  UPON  EARTH  : 
THIS   FACT   MUST    SECURE    THEIR   RECOGNITION. 

OD'S  children  do  not  meet  in  heaven  as 
children  meet  in  a  home,  who,  born  succes- 
sively into  the  same  family,  meet  for  the 
first  time  :  they  meet  for  the  second  time.  It  may 
not  be  deemed  beneath  the  dignity  and  reverence 
of  our  subject  if  we  allude  to  an  Eastern  fable  :  It 
happened  that  a  certain  soul  was  destined  to  inhabit, 
for  a  time,  the  body  of  a  dove ;  another,  that  of  a 
swallow  ;  and  another,  that  of  a  lark.  In  that  pre- 
existent  state,  they  lived  in  the  same  cage, — with 
liberty,  however,  to  roam  about  wherever  they 
chose, — and  formed  plans  for  taking  excursions  in 
company  to  and  fro  through  the  earth,  and  over  the 
sea,  and  up  over  the  cliffs  of  lofty  mountains ;  and 
then  spread  their  wings,  and  away,  away,  over  out- 
stretching valleys   with  their  green,   grassy  sward, 

[188] 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     189 

and  over  woods  vocal  with  their  feathery  songsters  ; 
and  experienced  in  each  other's  company  numberless 
adventures,  such  as  doves  and  swallows  and  larks 
are  subject  to.  But  the  time  came,  when,  upon  the 
principle  of  the  doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of 
souls,  they  were  to  be  born  and  numbered  among 
the  members  of  the  human  family.  The  soul  of  the 
dove  passed  into  a  child ;  that  of  the  swallow,  into 
the  brother  of  that  child ;  and  that  of  the  lark,  into  a 
sister  of  these  two  ;  there  being  two  years  between 
the  births.  They  were  successively  born  in  the  same 
parents'  home,  with  a  full  recollection  of  the  past, 
and,  of  course,  with  their  intellectual  faculties  such 
as  those  of  other  human  beings.  They  did  not  at 
first  know  each  other  as  having  been  prior  com- 
panions ;  but,  when  they  grew  up,  they  began  to 
speak  about  the  past,  and  about  the  events  that  had 
occurred  to  them  during  the  life  they  had  led  as 
birds,  before  they  became  numbered  with  human 
beings.  They  spoke  about  their  former  cage,  con- 
trasting it  with  the  home  they  had  entered,  and  about 
their  flights  with  swallows  to  Africa ;  with  other 
doves  to  the  high  mountain-tops  ;  with  singing  larks, 
as  they  went  whirring  up,  on  the  mornings  of  many 
glad  summers,  to  the  very  gates  of  heaven.  They 
spoke  about  their  narrow  escapes  from  the  prowling 
sportsman,  and  the  lower  animals  with  which  they 
accidently  came  into  contact,  whilst  skimming  the 
air  in  their  flights  together ;  nor  was  it  long  ere  they 


190     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

came  to  be  satisfied  that  they  had  met  before,  and 
had  lived  together,  and  had  talked  before  in  their 
own  way,  as  doves  and  swallows  and  larks  talk,  and 
had  taken  frequent  flights  in  each  other's  company. 
They  thus  became  great  lovers  of  each  other :  and 
then  it  was  raised  among  them  as  a  question,  whether 
the  one  life  was  better  than  the  other ;  but  they  all 
came  to  one  conclusion.  One  feared  the  sportsman's 
gun,  another  the  fowler's  snare,  and  the  third  the 
cruel  hawk ;  and  they  resolved  that  it  was  better  to 
be  human  creatures  than  birds. 

This  simple  fable  may  form  the  lowlier  term  of  a 
contrast,  the  other  term  of  which  is  so  much  more 
grand,  we  should  say  rather,  sublime ;  but  there  is 
also  in  it — which  is  no  contradiction — a  similitude. 
If  we  consider  the  vast  difference  in  the  capacity  and 
sensibility  of  the  higher  creature,  as  compared  with 
that  of  the  lower,  we  arrive  at  the  so  much  greater 
certainty,  that  the  thoughts  and  sympathies  of  the 
earth-born  mind  must  be  the  prelude  and  occasion  of 
that  recognition  among  the  glorified,  which  is  so  dear 
to  our  hopes,  that  we  cannot  even  bear  to  have  it 
called  in  question. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

RECOGNITION  OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN  (continued), 

PROOF  EIGHTH. THE  JUDGMENT-DAY  WILL  INEVI- 
TABLY  SECURE   THE   RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS. 


YEN  if  it  he  possible  that  friends  who  meet  in 
heaven  do  not  discover  each  other  before, 
the  judgment  will  make  the  discovery.  "Be- 
hold, the  Lord  cometh  with  ten  thousand  of  his 
saints  to  execute  judgment  upon  all."  "Behold,  He 
cometh  with  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  him, 
and  they  also  which  pierced  him ;  and  all  kindreds 
of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of  him."  "I  beheld 
till  the  thrones  were  cast  down,  and  the  Ancient  of 
days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was  white  as  snow,  and 
the  hair  of  his  head  like  the  pure  wool :  his  throne 
was  like  the  fiery  flame,  and  his  wheels  as  burning 
lire.  A  fiery  stream  issued  and  came  forth  from  be- 
fore him;  thousand  thousands  ministered  unto  him, 
and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before 
him :  the  judgment  was  set,  and  the  books  were 
opened."     "And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,   and 

[1911 


192     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

Him  that  sat  on  it,  from  whose  face  the  earth  and  the 
heaven  iled  away ;  and  there  was  found  no  place  for 
them.  And  I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand 
before  God ;  and  the  books  were  opened ;  and  an- 
other book  was  opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life  ; 
and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those  things  which 
were  written  in  the  books,  according  to  their  works." 


THE   JUDGMENT. 

There  are  two  opposite  views  which  Christians  have 
adopted  respecting  the  mode  of  procedure  which  Christ 
will  adopt  in  judging  the  members  of  the  human 
family.  One  view  is,  that  there  will  be  no  such 
thing  as  a  personal  and  individual  judgment  at  all, 
and  no  exposure  of  every  person's  name  and  life  before 
the  mighty  hosts  of  the  assembled  universe.  Accord- 
ing to  this  view,  the  procedure  of  the  judgment-day 
is  set  forth :  The  heavens  over  the  earth  will  rend 
asunder  ;  the  gates  of  glory  will  be  thrown  open  ;  the 
everlasting  doors  will  be  lifted  up ;  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  will  be  seen  by  all  the  assembled  hosts  rising 
in  his  glory  from  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God, 
about  to  descend  for  the  judgment  of  the  world. 
The  whole  inhabitants  of  heaven  will  instantly  be  in 
motion ;  angels,  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect, 
about  to  receive  their  bodies  raised  by  the  Lord  from 
the  grave.     Enoch  and  Elijah,  in  their  already  glo- 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS'  IN  HEAVEN.     193 

rified  bodies,  will  follow  in  the  Redeemer's  train, 
heaven  will  be  emptied  for  a  little  space  of  all  its 
created  inhabitants,  and  silence  will  reign  for  a  season 
in  its  previously  crowded  and  vocal  courts.  The  Lord 
Jesus  will  burst  upon  the  view  of  the  startled  nations 
with  all  the  mighty  hosts  around  him.  He  will 
appear  in  his  own  glory,  in  the  glory  of  the  Father, 
and  in  the  glory  of  all  his  holy  angels.  The  Lord 
Jesus  left  the  world,  at  his  ascension  to  heaven,  seated 
upon  the  bosom  of  a  white  cloud.  He  is  about,  in 
bodily  presence,  to  revisit  the  world,  seated  upon  the 
great  white  throne.  He  shall  come,  not  with  the  roll 
of  silver  trumpets  sounding  forth  the  announcement 
that  the  jubilee  is  come  to  the  prisoners  in  Palestine, 
but  with  the  trump  of  God  proclaiming  that  an  eter- 
nal jubilee  has  come  to  the  prisoners  of  the  grave. 
For  the  moment  the  glad  sound  of  that  trump  is 
heard,  the  dead  shall  rise.  All  who  are  in  the  grave 
shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth.  Thus,  in 
a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  there  will  be 
seen  one  rising,  moving,  wide-spread  mass  gathering 
themselves  together,  numerous  as  the  sands  of  the 
sea,  from  the  east  and  from  the  west,  from  the  north 
and  from  the  south,  even  from  the  four  winds  of 
heaven ;  to  all,  the  judgment-throne  the  centre 
of  attraction. 

When  the  Lord  Jesus  takes  his  seat,  some  think 
that  he  will  simply  separate  the  righteous  from  the 
wicked  into  two  great  throngs.     The  righteous  shall 

9 


194     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN   HEAVEN. 

assemble  and  gather  together,  and  in  one  rejoicing 
mass  take  their  position  at  once  on  the  Judge's  right 
hand.  The  wicked  will,  at  the  same  moment,  move 
on  from  their  graves,  and  take  their  position  at  the 
Judge's  left  hand,  a  mighty  mass  of  trembling  crimi- 
nals, with  countenances  black  with  despair,  the  glare 
of  whose  fright-speaking  eyes  will  show  that  all  hope 
has  for  ever  fled.  The  Judge  turns  his  face  towards 
those  at  his  right  hand,  and  addresses  them  :  "  Come, 
ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
Then,  turning  to  those  on  his  left  hand :  "  Depart 
from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for 
the  devil  and  his  angels."  The  righteous  will  then 
instantly  rise  with  singing  and  gladness,  and  will  fol- 
low the  Lord  of  glory  upwards,  and  enter  into  heaven. 
The  wicked  will  at  the  same  time,  with  failing  and 
throbbing  hearts,  take  the  last  look  of  the  rising  and 
ascending  assemblage ;  and,  in  the  hearing  of  the 
burst  of  praise  that  is  rolling  down  from  heaven,  they 
will  depart  to  the  punishment  that  awaits  them. 

According  to  this  view,  the  whole  procedure  of  the 
judgment -day  will  not  occupy  more  than  a  few 
minutes,  or  a  few  hours  at  most ;  for,  the  moment 
the  sentence  is  pronounced,  the  two  assemblages  on 
the  right  and  left  hands  of  ihe  Judge  will  go  at 
once  to  enter  their  appointed  but  very  different 
dwellings. 

If  this  view  of  the  procedure  of  the  last  day  be  cor- 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     195 

rect,  friends  may  meet  at  the  judgment-throne,  and 
not  recognize  each  other ;  because  there  is  thus  to  be 
no  individual  exposure  and  personal  judgment,  so  as 
to  proclaim  the  name,  and  to  exhibit  the  life,  and  to 
expose  the  past  conduct  and  actings,  of  the  person 
judged.  Those  who  have  adopted  this  view  found 
their  opinion  chiefly  upon  the  Scripture  descriptions 
of  it  given  in  the  twenty-fifth  chapter  of  Matthew's 
Gospel.  But  we  should  remember  that  the  view 
which  St.  Matthew  gives  of  the  judgment-day  is 
simply,  that  there  will  then,  and  not  till  then,  be  an 
entire  separation  of  the  wicked  from  amongst  the 
righteous ;  but  he  does  not  delineate  there  the  pro- 
cedure which  the  Judge  will  observe  in  the  trial  of 
those  before  him.  I  remark,  too,  that  the  view  now 
given  involves  the  assumption,  that  there  will  be  a 
trial  of  those  merely  who  shall  be  living  upon  the 
earth  at  the  last  day.  All  the  rest  of  the  human 
family  —  according  to  our  Protestant  interpretation, 
that  the  souls  of  God's  people  at  their  death  pass 
immediately  to  glory,  whilst  the  souls  of  the  wicked 
go  at  once  to  punishment  —  were  separated  before. 

I  believe,  however,  that  the  judgment  of  the  great 
day  will  be  a  very  different  process  from  that  which 
those  who  hold  this  view  imagine.  There  is,  accord- 
ingly, another  view  held  by  devout  Christians,  and 
which  I  believe  to  be  the  correct  and  scriptural  one, — 
that  every  member  of  the  human  family  will  undergo  a 
personal,  an  individual,  and  an  accurate  scrutinizing 


196      RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

judgment  and  exposure,  in  the  presence  of  the  assem- 
bled universe. 

The  great  Judge  is  not  merely  to  separate  the 
righteous  from  the  wicked  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his 
sheep  from  the  goats  :  the  Books  are  to  be  opened,  — 
the  Book  of  God's  Omniscience,  the  Book  of  God's 
Providence  with  each  individual,  the  Book  of  Con- 
science. The  opening  of  these  books  will  show  to 
the  whole  vast  assemblages  the  principle  of  justice  with 
mercy,  upon  which  the  righteous  are  acquitted ;  and 
that  of  justice  without  mercy,  upon  which  the  wicked 
are  condemned. 

Every  believer  and  sinner,  then,  may  now  say  this 
with  himself:  "I  will  be  judged  as  minutely  as  if 
Christ  had  come  down  from  heaven,  and  the  judgment 
had  been  appointed  to  sit  for  my  trial  alone.  My 
whole  life  will  be  passed  in  review  by  Christ,  before 
the  assembled  universe :  every  action  I  have  performed, 
every  word  I  have  spoken,  every  thought  that  has 
passed  through  my  mind,  will  be  taken  cognizance  of 
on  that  great  and  terrible  day." 

This,  reader,  is  the  nature  of  the  judgment  that 
awaiteth  thee.  Prepare  for  it  now  !  Live  above  the 
world  !  Live  to  God  !  Live  for  eternity  !  Walk  in 
Jesus  !  Thou  art  compassed  about,  even  now,  by  a 
great  cloud  of  witnesses,  both  in  heaven  and  upon 
earth.  Thou  wilt  be  compassed  at  the  judgment- 
throne  by  a  greater  assembly.  Therefore  lay  aside 
every  weight  and  thy  besetting  sin  ;  run  with  patience 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     197 

the  race  that  God  has  set  before  thee,  ever  looking  to 
Jesus  as  thy  only  rescue. 

According  to  this  view  of  the  procedure  at  the  judg- 
ment-day, friends  will  recognize  each  other  there ;  for 
their  names  will  be  announced  before  each  other,  and 
their  intercourse  will  be  passed  in  review.  Nay,  their 
thoughts  about  their  friends,  their  words  addressed  to 
their  friends,  their  actions  performed  to  or  by  their 
friends,  constitute  the  greater  part  of  their  life.  The 
Holy  Spirit  evidently  gives  us  this  startling  view  of 
the  particularity  of  the  great  and  last  review.  "  Let 
us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter :  Fear 
God,  and  keep  his  commandments ;  for  tins  is  the 
whole  duty  of  man.  For  God  shall  bring  every  work 
into  judgment,  with  every  secret  thing,  whether  it  be 
good,  or  whether  it  be  evil."  "For  we  must  all 
appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  that  every 
one  may  receive  the  things  done  in  his  body,  according 
to  that  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad." 
We  have  already  seen,  that  Paul  looks  forward  to  the 
judgment-throne  with  the  anticipation  that  he  will 
meet  his  Thessalonian  converts  there,  and  recognize 
them  there,  and  experience  them  to  be  his  crown  of 
joy  and  of  rejoicing.  If  Paul  will  recognize  these 
Thessalonians,  when  their  intercourse  and  acts  of 
friendship  are  revealed,  will  you  not  recognize  your 
friends,  with  whom  you  have  associated,  when  your 
intercourse  is  passed  in  review  ?  You  will  meet 
your  friends  at  the  judgment-throne  ;  that  is  certain  : 


198     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

the  way  in  which  you  have  lived  together,  and  acted 
towards  each  other,  will  be  reviewed.  That  review 
will  afford  the  evidence  to  the  great  assize,  that  the 
Judge  is  proceeding  upon  the  principles  of  infinite 
justice  and  equity,  either  in  your  acquittal  or  condem- 
nation. 

There  stands  in  Christ's  glorious  presence  a  father, 
joyful  and  glad,  in  the  front  of  the  great  white  throne. 
His  children  are  beside  him,  and  they  are  now  to  him 
a  crown  of  joy  and  of  rejoicing ;  for  that  man  was 
not  merely  the  natural  father  of  these  children,  but 
their  spiritual  father  also.  He  labored  in  their  behalf, 
not  merely  for  the  bread  that  perisheth;  but  he 
wrestled  in  prayer,  at  the  footstool  of  God's  throne  of 
grace,  for  their  salvation,  and  earnestly  entreated  his 
Father  in  heaven  to  bestow  upon  his  dearly-beloved 
children  the  bread  of  life,  — the  spiritual  manna  from 
heaven,  —  that  they  might  eat  thereof,  and  never  die. 
His  labor  was  not  in  vain.  By  his  holy  example,  by 
his  heavenly  conversation,  by  his  prayers  for  them,  so 
full  of  a  holy  unction  and  of  a  holy  earnestness,  nay, 
so  full  of  Christ,  and  of  the  very  breathings  of  his 
love,  he  yearned  and  longed  and  travailed  that  Christ 
might  be  formed  in  their  souls  the  hope  of  glory. 
His  desire  was  granted  ;  his  prayers  were  answered  ; 
and  there  these  children  stand  in  the  presence  of  him 
who  was  once  their  father  ;  and  there  he  appears  before 
Jesus,  able  to  say,  both  in  a  natural  and  spiritual 
sense,  "  Here  am  I,  and  the  children  whom  thou  hast 


RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN.     199 

given  me."  If  that  father  and  these  children  know 
each  other  at  the  judgment-bar,  —  and  it  is  not  pos- 
sible that  their  intercourse  can  be  publicly  reviewed, 
and  their  pious  conduct  towards  each  other  publicly 
exhibited  to  their  praise,  and  as  the  reason  why  they 
are  accepted,  whilst  other  families  are  cast  out  and 
condemned,  without  becoming  known  to  each  other, 
—  will  they  lose  this  recognition  of  each  other  after 
they  rise  and  enter  heaven,  to  associate  there  as  the 
members  of  the  same  family  for  ever? 

There  stands  another  father  before  the  great  white 
throne,  with  his  face  displaying  his  agonies,  and  his 
mouth  the  chokings  of  despair ;  and  there  his  poor 
children  are  quaking  in  horror  beside  him.  Their 
fear  and  trembling  are  not  without  a  cause.  That 
father  was  a  drunkard  ;  he  was  a  deserter  from  Chris- 
tian ordinances ;  he  gave  himself  up  to  a  life  of  dis- 
sipation and  of  ungodliness ;  he  never  prayed ;  he 
never  read  the  Bible ;  he  never  went  to  church ;  he 
never  spoke  to  his  children  about  God,  about  Jesus, 
about  the  coming  judgment-day,  about  heaven,  about 
hell,  about  the  great  realities  of  the  eternal  world, 
about  the  necessity  and  the  urgency  of  seeking  by 
prayer  from  God  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  He 
succeeded  but  too  well  in  effecting  the  ruin  of  his 
children  ;  not  that  he  wished  it,  but  his  example 
and  his  whole  conduct  were  exactly  such  as  were 
unfailingly  calculated  to  effect  their  damnation.  That 
father  was  not  a  ministering  angel  for  Christ  in  ear- 


200     RECOGNITION   OF  FRIENDS  IN  HEAVEN. 

nestly  endeavoring  to  secure  his  children's  salvation  : 
he  was  an  agent  for  Satan  in  effecting  their  ruin.  He 
died  impenitent.  His  children  grew  up,  walked  in 
the  footsteps  of  their  ungodly  father,  died  also  in  a 
state  of  alienation  from  God,  and  were  lost.  Now 
they  are  met  for  judgment  in  the  presence  of  Christ ; 
but,  alas  !  it  is  as  mutual  accusers.  The  father 
shrinks  back  and  trembles  at  the  sight  of  his  poor 
lost  children,  standing  in  their  agony  before  him. 
Think  ye  there  will  be  no  recognition  there? 

I  make  a  solemn  appeal  to  the  consciences  of  all 
who  may  read  these  pages.  Eemember,  your  present 
life  will  be  passed  in  review  before  the  assembled 
universe.  Do  not  imagine  that  you  will  pass  in  the 
crowd  almost  unnoticed.  On  the  great  and  terrible 
day  of  the  Lord,  the  book  of  your  present  life  will 
be  opened  and  read,  whilst  a  listening  universe  is 
looking  on.  That  book  will  not  be  a  flattering  and 
high-colored  memoir ;  a  false  and  unfounded  eulogy, 
representing  more  what  your  life  should  have  been, 
than  what  it  really  was :  it  will  be  a  full,  an  accurate, 
and  a  truthful  revelation  of  all  that  you  have  thought 
and  said  and  done,  as  if  your  moral  image  were 
reflected  in  the  clear,  undimmed  glass  of  eternal  truth. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


OBJECTIONS    ANSWERED. 


HERE  are  four  objections  which  may  be 
brought  against  the  views  which  I  have 
advanced. 


OBJECTION   FIRST. 

The  resurrection-body  will  be  so  entirely  different  from 
what  it  is  now,  that  friends  will  be  unable  to  recognize 
each  other  when  they  meet  at  the  judgment-throne. 

This  objection  may  be  stated  in  a  familiar  way, 
thus  :  As  the  butterfly  sporting  on  a  summer  day  has 
little,  if  any,  resemblance  to  the  grub  that  slept  wing- 
less and  motionless  only  a  little  while  before  among 
the  clods  of  the  valley  ;  so  the  glorified  body  will  be 
so  changed  and  improved,  that  all  traces  of  what  it 
was  once  will  have  vanished,  and  consequently  a 
recognition  and  identification  of  friends  will  be  impos- 
sible. 

9*  [201] 


202  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

ANSWER. 

I  have  already  obviated  this  objection  so  far,  by 
referring  to  the  continuity  of  aspect,  personality  of 
form,  and  similarity  of  features,  which  the  body  retains 
during  life  in  the  midst  of  the  changes  (and  they  are 
many  and  great)  through  which  it  passes  from  infancy 
to  youth,  from  youth  to  manhood,  and  from  manhood 
to  old  age.  For  any  thing  I  can  tell,  this  continuity 
of  form  and  feature  through  life  may  be  a  premonition 
of  what  the  body  of  every  individual  is  to  be  after 
translation.  Nay,  I  understand  that  naturalists  assert 
that  the  winged  insect  does  retain  much  of  the  form 
and  characteristics  which  it  had  whilst  a  grub. 

There  are  several  errors,  in  their  religious  views,  into 
which  individuals  are  too  apt  to  fall :  1st,  Imagining 
that  there  is  a  greater  difference  than  what  really 
exists  betwixt  a  state  of  nature  and  a  state  of  grace  ; 
2d,  Betwixt  a  state  of  grace  here  and  a  state  of  glory 
in  heaven ;  and,  3d,  Betwixt  what  the  body  is  now, 
whilst  in  a  state  of  health  and  of  youth,  and  what  it 
is  to  become  when  it  receives  its  resurrection-form  and 
glory. 

There  are  individuals  who  think  that  a  state  of  grace 
is  so  different  from  a  state  of  nature,  that  the  moment 
you  are  born  again,  and  become,  through  the  gracious 
operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  your  souls,  the 
new  creation  of  Grod  in  Christ  Jesus,  you  cease  to  be 
yourselves ;  the  whole  form  and  features  of  your 
souls  are  so  changed,  that  you  are,  in  fact,  no  longer 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  203 

the  persons  that  you  were  before.  What  does  God's 
grace  do  to  the  soul  ?  It  imparts  to  it  a  new  bias,  a 
God  ward  and  a  heavenward  tendency ;  but  it  neither 
imparts  to  the  convert  a  new  spirit,  nor  a  spirit  so 
changed  that  it  retains  none  of  the  features  which  it 
exhibited  before. 

The  breath  of  spring  does  not  create  a  new  earth, 
but  throws  into  the  old'  soil  such  a  vivifying  influence 
as  to  cause  the  grass  to  grow,  the  flowers  to  appear, 
the  crops  to  spring  up,  and  the  birds  to  sing  among 
the  foliaged  branches  of  the  trees.  Paul  has  zeal 
before  his  conversion :  he  retains  his  zeal  after  it. 
Peter  was  forward  and  outspoken  before  his  regene- 
ration :    he  is  the  same  in  this  respect  after. 

Again  :  there  are  those  who  think  that  a  state 
of  glory  in  heaven  is  so  very  different  from  a  state  of 
grace  upon  earth,  that,  the  moment  we  enter  the  world 
of  glory,  we  will  cease  to  be  ourselves  ;  we  will  be 
lost,  and  swallowed  up,  and  absorbed,  if  not  in  God, 
at  least  in  the  contemplation  of  his  glory.  For  any 
thing  I  can  tell  (and  analogy  lends  its  countenance 
to  the  supposition) ,  whilst  Newton  in  heaven  finds  his 
chief  enjoyment  in  communion  with  God,  he  may 
still  be  engaged  in  the  contemplation  and  study  of 
astronomy ;  and  now  a  universe  in  extent  and 
grandeur  and  beauty  may  be  expanded  around  him, 
and  may  be  the  object  of  his  enraptured  gaze,  of 
which  he  had  no  conception  whatever  whilst  in  this 
world.     I  do  not  believe,  that,  in  a  state  of  glory,  we 


204  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

are  to  be  so  very  different  from  what  we  are  now  in  a 
state  of  grace,  that  we  will  actually  not  be  the  same 
persons  ;  that  we  will  cease  to  be  ourselves.  Glory 
is  grace  in  the  flower  ;  grace  is  glory  in  the  bud. 

There  is  a  similar  error  committed  by  many  indi- 
viduals respecting  the  extent  of  the  change  which  the 
body  is  to  undergo  at  the  resurrection.  Indeed, 
according  to  the  views  of  some,  the  body  of  the  glori- 
fied will  be  so  very  different,  not  from  what  it  was 
when  laid  in  the  grave,  but  from  what  it  was  during 
life,  that  it  will  not  be  the  same  body  in  any  respect, 
and  consequently  will  thus  retain  nothing  of  its 
former  form  and  features  and  appearance.  This  is  a 
special  error.  The  Scriptures  countenance  the  doc- 
trine, that,  when  the  body  has  become  glorified,  this 
corruptible  shall  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal 
shall  put  on  immortality,  when  we  hear  the  trump  of 
God  and  the  stir  of  the  resurrection-morning  in  our 
deep,  dark  prison ;  and  when  we  come  up  out  of  it, 
and  take  our  stand  at  the  judgment-throne  of  Christ, 
wearing  and  exhibiting  in  our  upraised  bodies  the  very 
image  of  Jesus,  we  will  be  both  changed  and  im- 
proved :  but  it  does  not  follow  that  we  will  cease  to  be 
ourselves,  and  that  we  will  retain  no  trace  of  our  own 
peculiar  aspect ;  that  we  shall  have  lost  for  ever  that 
which  constituted  previously  our  peculiar  personality 
and  individuality.  Yes,  the  very  same  body  is  to  be 
raised  by  Christ,  to  become  the  tabernacle  and  dwell- 
ing-place of  the  soul  for  ever ;  or  otherwise  that  body 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  205 

is  not  to  undergo  a  resurrection  merely  on  that  great 
day,  but  there  is  to  be  a  new  creation. 

Again  :  the  greatness  of  the  change,  according  to 
the  opinion  of  some,  would  be  tantamount  to  our  not 
being  the  same  creatures.  It  is  here  forgotten,  that, 
after  Christ's  resurrection,  his  body  was  not  so  changed 
that  his  disciples  and  followers  did  not  know  him. 
They  recognized  him,  and  beheld,  in  his  continued 
resemblance  to  what  he  was  before  he  went  down  into 
the  tomb,  that  it  was  he  himself.  They  knew  the 
tones  of  his  voice ;  they  recognized  his  very  form  and 
his  very  features.  They  beheld  the  marks  of  the  nails 
in  his  feet  and  in  his  hands,  and  the  gash  of  the  spear 
in  his  side. 

OBJECTION   SECOND. 

The  lives  of  God's  people  will  not  be  exposed  by  Christ 
at  the  judgment-throne,  and  before  an  assembled  universe, 
so  as  to  make  them  known  to  each  other  by  a  full  ex- 
hibition both  of  their  good  actions  and  also  of  their  sins  ; 
for  the  following  passages  of  Scripture  seem  to  teach 
the  doctrine,  that  when  their  sins  are  sought  for  they 
will  not  be  found,  but  will  be  cast  into  the  depths  of 
the  sea,  will  have  passed  into  oblivion,  and  conse- 
quently will  not  be  exposed  or  known  :  "  In  those 
days,  and  in  that  time,  saith  the  Lord,  the  iniquity 
of  Israel  shall  be  sought  for,  and  there  shall  be  none  ; 
and  the  sins  of  Judah,  and  they  shall  not  be  found  : 
for  I  will  pardon  them  whom  I  reserve."     "Who  ia 


206  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

a  God  like  unto  thee,  that  pardoneth  iniquity,  and 
passeth  by  the  transgression  of  the  remnant  of  his 
heritage  ?  He  retaineth  not  his  anger  for  ever,  be- 
cause he  delighteth  in  mercy.  He  will  turn  again  ; 
he  will  have  compassion  upon  us  ;  he  will  subdue  our 
iniquities ;  and  thou  wilt  cast  all  their  sins  into  the 
depths  of  the  sea."  w  Thou  hast  in  love  to  my  soul 
delivered  it  from  the  pit  of  corruption ;  for  thou  hast 
cast  all  my  sins  behind  thy  back." 

ANSWER. 

These  passages  of  Scripture  merely  teach,  that, 
through  the  blood  of  Christ,  the  sins  of  God's  people 
will  be  fully  remitted  and  blotted  out,  and  will  be  so 
completely  forgiven  and  removed,  as  if  cast  by  God 
himself  behind  his  back,  and  flung  into  the  depths  of 
the  sea.  But  these  passages  do  not  and  cannot  prove 
that  their  sins  will  be  hidden  from  the  assembled  uni- 
verse, and  consequently  that  their  lives  will  not  be 
fully  and  faithfully  exhibited  and  made  known,  and 
thus  afford  the  opportunity  to  their  friends  of  recog- 
nizing them,  for  the  following  reasons  :  — 

1.  The  Scriptures  elsewhere  teach  the  very  contrary, 
m  language  in  which  there  is  no  metaphor.  "  God 
will  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  every  secret 
thing."  w  For  there  is  nothing  hid  which  shall  not  be 
manifested."  "I  say  unto  you,  that  every  idle  word 
that  men  shall  speak,  they  shall  give  account  thereof 
in  the  day  of  judgment." 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  207 

2.  The  very  object,  the  grand  design,  of  the  judg- 
ment-day, is  to  make  such  a  full  and  particular  expo- 
sure of  the  lives  both  of  the  righteous  and  of  the  wicked, 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  may  prove  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
intelligent  universe  assembled  around  him,  as  the  great, 
the  last,  and  the  grand  jury,  that  he  is  just,  and  's  act- 
ing justly,  both  when  he  acquits  and  when  he  condemns. 
This  object  can  only  be  gained  by  a  full  exposure  of 
the  whole  lives  of  each,  even  to  the  minutest  particu- 
larity. 

3.  It  is  only  a  full  exposure  of  the  lives  of  God's 
people,  their  sins  set  in  array  before  the  assembled  uni- 
verse, that  will  exalt  Christ  sufficiently,  and  bear  suitable 
evidence  to  the  infinite  efficacy  of  the  blood  of  Immanuel, 
and  to  the  great  and  unspeakable  benefits  that  result  to 
his  people  through  faith  in  his  blood. 

Thus  the  exposure  of  the  sins  of  God's  people  at 
the  judgment-throne  will  be  the  means  of  magnifying 
Christ  before  all  who  shall  be  there,  and  of  showing 
how  much  believers  owe  to  Jesus ;  for,  numerous  and 
aggravated  as  their  sins  have  been,  —  evidenced  by 
the  exposure  of  them,  —  Christ's  blood  has  washed 
them  all  away. 

God's  people  do  not  conceal  their  sins  from  God 
during  their  life  :  they  confess  them  in  prayer  to 
their  Father  in  heaven.  God's  people,  moreover,  who 
have  already  entered  heaven,  do  not  conceal  their  sins. 
They  do  not  pretend,  yonder,  that  they  never  had  any  ; 
for  thus  they  sing  of  the  blood  of  Christ  in  the  courts 


208  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

of  eternal  glory:  "  Unto  Him  that  loved  us,  and 
washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath 
made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father ; 
to  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever." 
"  Thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God,  by  thy 
blood,  out  of  every  kindred  and  tongue  and  people  and 
nation."  Will,  then,  the  sins  of  God's  people  be 
concealed  and  hidden,  and  never  be  referred  to,  at  the 
judgment-throne?  Were  this  really  to  be  done, 
Christ  would  there  be  robbed  of  half  his  glory,  be- 
cause the  righteous  might  be  looked  upon  as  acquitted 
and  saved,  because  in  their  lives  they  had  been  right- 
eous and  holy,  and  not  because,  through  faith,  they 
had  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb. 

4.  If  the  sins  of  God's  people  are  not  exposed  at 
the  judgment-throne,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  may  receive 
the  glory  due  to  his  name  in  washing  them  all  away 
through  the  efficacy  of  his  shed  blood,  then  a  mon- 
strous injustice  has  been  done  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the 
descriptions  of  the  Bible,  to  David,  and  to  the  rest  of 
the  children  of  God,  whose  sins  are  particularly,  and 
with  considerable  circumstantiality  of  detail,  mentioned 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  The  drunkenness  of  Noah, 
the  drunkenness  and  incest  of  Lot,  the  falsehood  of 
Abraham,  the  duplicity  of  Jacob,  the  deceit  of  Joseph, 
the  lies  and  oaths  and  curses  of  Peter,  the  whole 
apostles  deserting  their  Lord,  the  blasphemies  and 
persecutions  of  Paul,   and,   above  all,   the  sins   of 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  209 

adultery  and  murder  which  David  committed  in  the 
days  of  his  sad  aberration,  are  all  particularly  pro- 
mulgated. 

Wherever  the  Bible  has  been  circulated,  the  sins 
of  murder  and  adultery  committed  by  David  have  been 
particularly  noticed.  Consequently,  all  who  have  gone 
up  to  heaven  at  death  have  entered  it  with  the  full 
knowledge  of  these  two  dark  and  terrible  sins ;  and 
thus,  when  one  enters  heaven  and  looks  upon  David, 
he  will,  by  the  mental  law  of  association,  recall  the 
account  which  he  has  read  in  the  Book  of  Life. 

Nor  can  we  forget  that  it  would  only  put  all  God's 
children  upon  an  equality  with  David,  and  with  the 
others  whose  sins  are  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  were 
their  sins  also  exposed  and  revealed  at  the  judgment- 
throne,  and  this  not  to  their  shame  and  cov fusion  of 
face,  but  for  the  magnifying  of  the  grace  of  Jesus. 
Would  it  exhibit  an  impartial  display  of  God's  deal- 
ings with  his  children,  that  David's  sins,  and  the  sins 
of  the  rest  of  God's  children  whose  names  are  so 
mentioned,  should  be  so  universally  known,  both  by 
all  God's  translated  children  and  by  those  also  who 
are  still  living  upon  the  earth,  and  that  the  sins  of  all 
others  should  be  hid  ?  Eest  assured  that  God's  deal- 
ings with  his  children  will  not  be  so  unequal  and  so 
partial.  In  the  exposure  which  the  Scriptures  have 
already  made,  there  is  the  foreshadowing  intimation 
given  of  the  fuller  exposure  that  will  yet  be  made, 
when  the  necessities  of  judgment  call  for  the  revelation. 


210  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

And  thus  we  have  the  lesson :  Do  not  dream, 
people  of  God,  that  your  sins  will  be  hidden  at  the 
judgment-throne,  but  live  now  so  holily  and  cir- 
cumspectly, through  the  exercise  of  a  living  faith 
upon  the  Son  of  God,  that  your  sins  then  to  be  ex- 
posed may  be  few,  and  that  your  good  works  may  be 
many. 

OBJECTION  THIED. 

The  remembrance  of  our  sins,  in  heaven,  which  we 
committed  upon  earth,  would  impair  our  happiness  there; 
and  consequently  we  cannot  carry  up  with  us  into  heaven 
a  full  remembrance  of  the  past, 

ANSWER. 

The  remembrance  in  heaven  of  the  sins  committed 
upon  earth  will  not  act  upbraidingly  upon  the  spirit ; 
will  not  be  the  dark  and  lingering  shadows  of  remorse, 
overclouding  and  distressing  our  glorified  and  enrap- 
tured spirit ;  but  will  bring  up  to  us  through  eternity 
our  obligations  to  God's  eternal  love,  and  to  the  un- 
speakable riches  of  his  grace,  that  has  conferred  upon 
us,  once  so  sinful  and  all  undeserving,  the  salvation 
of  our  soul :  it  will  bring  up  to  us,  and  that  for  ever, 
what  we  owe  to  Jesus  and  to  his  shed  blood,  and  how 
much  we  should  love  Him  who  has  loved  us,  evei? 
with  an  everlasting  love,  —  a  love  that  many  water? 
could  not  quench,  and  that  many  floods  could  not 
drown. 

Nay,  the  remembrance  of  our  sins,  in  heaven,  which 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  211 

we  committed  upon  earth,  great  and  aggravated,  and 
all  washed  away  through  the  blood  of  Jesus,  will 
rather  be  as  oil  to  the  flame  of  our  love.  Thus  we 
will  be  led  to  sing  of  Jesus,  —  a  song  that  will  appear 
to  us  to  be  always  new,  — whilst  the  joyful  cycles  of 
a  glad  eternity  are  rolling  over  us  :  "  Thou  wast 
slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God,  by  thy  blood, 
out  of  every  kindred  and  tongue  and  people  and 
nation." 

We  cannot  suppose  David  feels  heaven's  happiness 
to  be  lessened  in  his  experience,  because,- in  the  midst 
of  its  glories,  he  remembers  the  sins  which  he  com- 
mitted whilst  he  remained  upon  earth ;  nor  that  the 
sight  of  Bathsheba  beside  him  in  heaven  —  if  she  be 
there  — will  bring  in  his  recollections  a  cloud  over  its 
sky ;  a  gloom,  and  something  like  a  sombre  and  sor- 
rowful night,  over  its  scenery.  No  :  rather  that  he 
uses  the  remembrance  of  his  sins  to  increase  his  love 
to  Him  as  "  the  morning-star,"  whose  rising  upon  his 
soul,  whilst  benighted  through  his  transgressions,  dis- 
pelled the  darkness  of  remorse,  and  brought  back  to 
him  the  dawn  of  a  joyful  day. 

You  will  not  merely  remember  your  sins  in  heaven : 
you  will  remember  also  all  that  you  did  for  Christ  whilst 
in  the  world. 

This  remembrance  will  show  you  the  gain  the  glo- 
rified have  acquired  by  entering  among  the  blessed, 
and  the  troubles  they  have  escaped  by  being  away 
from  earth ;  yea,  it  will  add  fervor  to  your  devotion, 


212  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED, 

and  a  depth  of  holier  earnestness  to  your  songs  of 
praise.  Just  as  the  remembrance  of  the  dangers  which 
the  pilgrim  has  escaped,  whilst  in  his  travels  through 
foreign  lands,  enhances  in  his  estimation  the  comfort 
of  his  home ;  so  the  recollection  of  earth,  with  its 
checkered  scenes,  its  sorrows,  its  trials,  its  tears,  its 
death,  forms  a  contrast  with  joys  that  to  us  are  inex- 
pressible. Rest  is  sweet  after  toil ;  health,  after 
sickness  ;  freedom,  after  slavery  ;  joy,  after  sorrow ; 
life,  after  death  ;  heaven,  after  earth. 

The  souls  of  the  martyrs  under  the  altar  in  heaven 
remember  the  sins  of  their  enemies.  "  How  long," 
is  their  cry,  "  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not 
judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them  that  dwell  on 
the  earth?"  Do  these  martyrs  now  remember  the 
sins  of  their  enemies,  and  have  they  forgotten  their 
own  ?  It  cannot  be  !  Every  song  which  the  saved 
sing  before  the  throne  of  God  in  heaven,  giving 
honor  and  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  Him  who  is 
upon  it,  will  be  enhanced  by  the  recollection,  "  Thou 
wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy 
blood."  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  to 
receive  power  and  riches  and  wisdom  and  strength 
and  honor  and  glory  and  blessing." 

OBJECTION   FOURTH. 

The  recognition  of  our  friends  in  heaven  will  become 
i  sowxe  of  sorrow  to  us  there,  when  we  thus  discover  that 
tome  beloved  one  is  not  there  beside  tis,  but  is  lost. 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  213 

This  objection  may  be  stated  also  thus  :  A  mother 
is  saved,  and  at  her  death  she  ascends  among  the 
blessed.  She  finds,  through  the  privilege  she  has  of 
recognizing  her  former  friends,  that  her  once  dearly- 
beloved  child,  who  died  before  her,  is  not  there. 
Will  this  knowledge  not  impair  and  lessen,  if  it  does 
not  destroy  for  ever,  that  mother's  happiness  ? 

ANSWER. 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  key  to  solve  all  these 
difficulties,  conjured  up  by  a  fruitful  imagination. 
The  objection  assumes,  that  it  is  the  greatness  of  the 
mother's  love  to  her  child,  and  her  knowledge  she  has 
gained  since  she  entered  heaven  that  her  child  is  lost, 
that  takes  away  her  own  happiness  there.  I  ask  the 
objector  this  question :  Does  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
love  that  mother's  child  less  than  she  does?  and 
does  he  not  know  this  irreparable  loss  ?  If  so,  does 
this  knowledge  destroy  Christ's  joy  and  happiness  in 
heaven?  Besides,  I  address  myself  further  to  the 
objector.  You  deny  the  doctrine  that  we  will  know  our 
translated  friends,  or  that  there  will  be  any  recogni- 
tion whatever,  which  I  have  endeavored  to  prove,  and 
in  which  I  firmly  believe ;  and  you  advance  a  mere 
supposition  against  the  doctrine,  as  if  it  were  an  argu- 
ment establishing  the  opposite  of  that  doctrine  :  for 
you  suppose,  that,  if  the  general  position  be  true, 
the  mother  in  heaven,  who  knows  that  her  child 
is  not  there,  will  become,  if  not  absolutely  mise- 


214  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

rable,  at  least  less  happy,  where  all  is  represented 
as  joyful. 

But  suppose,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  the  con- 
trary doctrine  true,  that  the  mother  does  not  recognize 
any  of  her  former  friends,  and  consequently  does  not 
recognize  her  own  once-beloved  child  among  the 
saved,  even  whilst  her  child,  it  is  certain,  is  there : 
then,  in  that  case,  her  child  is  lost  to  her.  According 
to  your  view,  she  has  not  the  means  of  knowing  that 
her  child  really  is  saved ;  and  thus,  if  she  be  capable 
of  reflection,  she  will  be  in  a  state  of  uncertainty  for 
ever  as  regards  a  fact  as  important  to  her  as  her  own 
salvation.  Yes,  if  your  objection  be  valid,  —  but, 
thanks  be  to  God,  it  is  not  so,  — then  all  who  are  in 
heaven  will  suffer  the  misery  of  not  knowing  whether 
or  not  dear  friends,  who  once  walked  with  them  in 
the  ways  of  God  upon  earth,  are  among  the  blessed, 
and  are,  along  with  them,  forming  a  portion  of  God's 
great  family, — the  inmates  with  them,  for  eternity, 
of  the  same  happy  home. 

By  robbing  heaven  of  the  social  aspect,  in  which 
the  Scriptures  set  it  before  us  as  our  home,  in  which 
we  are  to  meet  with  those  we  loved,  and  recognize 
them  amid  the  light  of  eternity,  you  are  plucking 
from  the  crown,  which  we  are  to  wear  for  ever,  one 
of  its  brightest  gems  ;  you  are  taking  away  one  sun 
of  comfort  that  will  shine  upon  us  from  its  high 
firmament ;  you  are  drying  up  one  river  of  holy  joy, 
that  will  flow  and  reflow  through  the  souls  of  friends, 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 


215 


when  they  meet  each  other  in  their  Father's  home, 
and  know  even  as  also  they  are  known. 

"  A  few  short  years  of  evil  past, 
We  reach  the  happy  shore, 
Where  death-divided  friends  at  last 
Shall  meet  to  part  no  more." 


PAKT  III. 

i  Jrttegt  fyou  xxt  J)mbm  fed  m  (garijj. 


"likewise  jot  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth." 


10 


CHAPTEE  I. 


THE  INTEREST  THOSE  IN  HEAVEN  FEEL  IN  EARTH. 


HETHER  or  not  those  in  heaven  feel  an 
interest  in  us  who  are  still  upon  the  earth, 
is  not  a  subject  of  mere  idle  speculation. 
The  belief  that  they  do  is  calculated  to  exert  a 
powerful  influence  upon  us  in  relation  to  our  life  and 
conduct  in  the  world ;  but,  in  order  that  this  influ- 
ence may  be  exerted,  we  must  realize  and  carry  about 
the  thought  of  it  abidingly  with  us. 

The  child  at  school,  on  the  examination-day,  feels 
stimulated  to  exert  himself  to  the  utmost,  that  he 
may  acquit  himself  well  when  he  beholds  his  parents 
and  other  visitors  present,  fixing  their  eyes  upon  him, 
and  deeply  interested  in  his  success.  David  felt 
animated  whilst  advancing  to  engage  in  single  com- 
bat with  Goliath,  not  only  by  the  view  that  he  was 
meeting  his  antagonist  under  the  protection  and 
shield  of  the  God  of  sabaoth,  but  also  by  the  thought 
that   Saul,    King  of  Israel,  and  the  whole  Jewish 

[219] 


220     THE  INTEREST   THOSE  IN  HEAVEN 

troops,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Philistine  battalions, 
on  the  other,  were  looking  on,  deeply  interested 
spectators,  and  were,  with  trembling  anxiety,  watch- 
ing the  issue  of  the  meeting  of  the  two  very  unequal 
combatants.  The  servant  feels  an  additional  motive 
to  use  diligence  in  his  work,  when  he  beholds  his 
master  by  his  side  looking  on,  and  his  fellow-servants 
also  spectators  of  his  activity  or  idleness.  The  com- 
petitor at  the  Olympic  games  felt  himself  animated 
and  stimulated  to  put  forth  his  utmost  exertion,  and 
to  strain  every  nerve,  that  he  might  outstrip  his 
fellow-competitors,  and  win  the  crown,  when  he 
looked  to  the  end  of  the  race-course,  and  saw  the 
judge  of  the  games  sitting  there  with  his  eyes  fas- 
tened upon  him,  and  again  looked  upon  each, side  of 
the  arena,  and  saw  there  congregated  around  him 
the  great  crowd  of  spectators,  collected  from  the 
surrounding  countries,  with  their  forests  of  heads  all 
bent  forward  in  eagerness,  and  watching  all  breath- 
lessly his  progress  towards  the  goal. 

We  may  suppose  what  would  be  the  effect  upon 
us,  who  are  now  in  the  world,  competitors  for  a 
crown  of  glory  that  is  never  to  fade,  if  we  saw  the 
omniscient  eye  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  con- 
stantly looking  out  from  heaven  upon  us  by  day,  as 
visibly  as  we  see  the  sun  in  his  meridian  splendor, 
and  observe  the  eyes  of  angels  and  of  the  glorified 
fixed  upon. us  by  night,  with  a  brilliancy  equal  to 
that   of  the   stars   looking  out  upon  us  from  their 


FEEL   IN  EARTH.  221 

quiet,  far-off  homes,  in  the  clear,  frosty  night.  Sure- 
ly the  view  of  the  great  heavenly  assembly  looking 
on,  and  witnesses  of  what  we  are  doing  (and  yet 
all  this  is  being  done,  though  we  do  not  see  it), 
would  lead  us  to  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin 
which  doth  so  easily  beset  us,  and  to  run  with 
patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us. 

Yes,  the  men  of  the  world  who  have  not  that  faith 
which  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  and  the 
evidence  of  things  not  seen,  behold  no  such  sight 
above  them  as  this  assemblage  of  spectators ;  they 
hear  not  the  roll  of  the  applauding  multitudes  in  the 
skies  ;  and  thus  the  thought,  that  those  in  the  heavens 
feel  a  deep  interest  in  us,  scarcely  ever  enters  their 
mind. 

The  men  of  the  world  have  but  a  dreamy  view 
of  heaven  and  its  inhabitants ;  so  dim  and  vision- 
ary and  shadowy,  that  they  can  scarcely  be  said 
to  have  realized  their  existence  at  all.  To  speak  to 
such  worldlings  about  the  interest  which  those  in 
heaven  feel  in  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  is  to  talk 
to  them  in  an  unknown  tongue.  Even  Christians 
have  generally  but  vague  conceptions  of  heaven,  and 
those  who  dwell  in  it.  They  believe  in  the  existence 
of  heaven,  it  is  true ;  but  it  can  scarcely  be  said  that 
ever  they  realize  it.  Even  in  the  view  of  many 
believers,  heaven  is  more  a  name  than  a  home;  it  is 
more  a  flitting,  unsubstantial  vision,  than  a  world, — 
the  dwelling-place  of  the  glorified. 


222  THE  INTEREST   THOSE  IN  HEAVEN 

I  wish  to  remind  such  individuals,  that  heaven 
exists  as  truly  as  the  earth  does ;  that  there  are  as 
truly  members  constituting  the  family  of  God  there, 
living,  active,  reflective,  interested,  not  in  what  is 
taking  place  among  themselves  merely,  but  in  eve*y 
act,  thought,  and  feeling  in  the  human  race,  as  there 
are  members  constituting  your  family  circle,  and  who 
feel  interested,  more  or  less,  in  what  is  occurring 
within  your  limited  sphere.  Nor  are  you  to  imagine 
that  space  or  time  have  any  thing  to  do  with  this  ques- 
tion. Look  at  the  various  mechanical  contrivances  of 
our  day  which  have  been  the  means  of  bringing  the 
people  of  distant  nations  near  to  each  other.  Not 
only  are  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  better  known  to 
each  other  :  they  now  feel  far  more  interest  in  what 
is  going  on  in  every  part  of  its  surface  than  they  did 
some  hundred  years  ago.  It  may  be  that  this  in- 
crease of  interest  is  just  a  visible  symbol,  but  still  a 
cold  and  feeble  representation,  of  that  interest  which 
the  inhabitants  of  heaven  feel  in  all  that  is  going  on 
throughout  the  whole  wide  and  boundless  domains  of 
God's  great  universe. 

The  Scriptures  alone  can  determine  this  question : 
What  is  the  degree  and  the  extent  of  this  interest? 
Accordingly,  it  is  the  announcements  made  in  the 
word  of  God  upon  which  we  must  chiefly  rest.  Yet, 
even  if  the  Scriptures  had  been  altogether  silent  upon 
the  subject,  there  are  some  considerations,  constituting 
what  may  be  termed  the  philosophical  argument,  which 


FEEL   IN  EARTH.  223 

must  naturally  lead  us  to  infer,  not  only  the  existence 
of  that  interest,  but  also  its  degree. 

PHILOSOPHICAL   EVIDENCES   FOR   THIS   INTEREST. 

Reason's  Proofs  in  favor  of  the  supposition,  that 
those  who  are  in  heaven  must  feel  an  interest  in  us  who 
are  dwelling  upon  the  earth, 

1.   The  same  God  presides  over  both  worlds. 

God  created,  he  also  reigns  over,  both  heaven  and 
earth.  "  The  Lord  hath  established  his  throne  in  the 
heavens,  and  his  kingdom  ruleth  over  all."  "Heaven 
is  God's  throne  :  the  earth  is  his  footstool."  "And  I 
heard  as  it  were  the  voice  of  a  great  multitude,  and 
as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of 
mighty  thunderings,  saying,  Alleluia ;  for  the  Lord 
God  omnipotent  reigneth."  "  I  blessed  the  Most 
ffigh,  and  I  praised  and  honored  Him  that  liveth  for 
ever,  whose  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion,  and 
his  kingdom  is  from  generation  to  generation.  And 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  reputed  as  no- 
thing ;  and  he  doeth  according  to  his  will  in  the 
army  of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth ;  and  none  can  stay  his  hand,  or  say  unto  him, 
What  doest  thou?" 

The  inhabitants  of  earth  feel  an  interest  in  what  is 
going  on  in  heaven.  I  pass  over  here  (of  course)  the 
interest  which  the  inspired  penmen  show,  everywhere 
in  their  writings,  that  they  felt  for  this  land  of 
promise  to  the  redeemed,  and  simply  appeal  to  your 


224  PHILOSOPHICAL   EVIDENCES 

thoughts  about  heaven  who  read  these  pages,  and  to 
your  inevitable  musings  in  all  hours  about  what  may 
be  going  on  there.  It  cannot  be  but  that  you  feel 
an  interest  in  a  future  state,  because  you  cannot 
avoid  believing  in  its  existence,  as  well  as  your  des- 
tiny in  connection  with  it ;  and  we  have  thus  a  kind 
of  evidence  that  this  interest  does  not  exist  on  your 
side  alone,  but  that  it  is  felt  as  a  reciprocation  :  it  is 
shared,  and,  I  believe,  in  an  intenser  degree,  by  the 
inmates  of  your  Father's  home. 

It  may  be  that  this  interest  is  somewhat  deadened 
because  you  do  not  possess  a  physical  vision  of  these 
translated  beings  and  their  doings.  The  Lord  hold- 
eth  back  from  your  view  the  face  of  his  throne,  and 
spreadeth  his  cloud  above  upon  it ;  and  he  hides  from 
you  also  the  whole  inmates  of  heaven,  and  he  refuses 
to  show  to  you  what  they  are  doing,  and  how  they 
are  acting,  and  how  they  are  spending  their  glorious 
eternity. 

But,  though  you  do  not  see  heaven  and  its  glorious 
inhabitants,  it  does  not  follow  that  they  do  not  see 
the  earth,  and  you  who  are  upon  it ;  and  you  are  not 
to  measure  their  interest  in  you  by  your  interest  in 
them. 

The  inhabitants  of  Britain  feel  an  interest  in  what 
is  taking  place  in  the  various  colonies  connected  with 
the  empire :  they  feel  this  interest  the  more,  that 
these  provinces  are  under  the  sceptre  of  the  same 
beloved  sovereign.     We  know  that  this  interest  is 


FOR    THIS  INTEREST.  225 

reciprocal.  The  inhabitants  throughout  the  different 
dependencies  of  our  empire  repay  our  solicitude  ;  and 
they  do  more,  inasmuch  as  we  are  objects  of  greater 
interest  to  them  than  they  are  to  us.  So  we  may 
infer,  that  a  similar  interest,  for  a  similar  reason, 
exists  among  the  denizens  of  heaven,  in  what  is 
taking  place  upon  the  old  mother-country,  earth. 
The  same  Sovereign  rules  over  both  worlds.  Those 
who  are  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  feel  an  interest  in 
the  Sovereign  who  is  in  the  midst  of  them  upon  the 
throne  of  his  glory ;  and  thus  they  will  naturally  feel 
an  interest  in  all  his  subjects,  and  in  the  whole 
boundless  realms  over  which  in  his  high  sovereignty 
he  reisms. 


10* 


CHAPTER  n. 


PHILOSOPHICAL    EVIDENCES    (continued). 


2.  Heaven  is  a  Home, 

HOME,  if  it  be  a  Bethel,  the  house  of  God, 
the  habitation  of  a  pious,  loving,  Christian 
family,  is  the  fountain  and  centre  of  interest 
towards  all  who  are  connected  with  it.  Children  may 
be  far  distant  in  a  foreign  land ;  but  the  warm  interest 
of  home  goes  out  after  them  and  towards  them,  and 
reaches  them  through  letters  and  presents,  and  kind 
inquiries,  and  holy  and  fervent  prayers. 

If  heaven,  then,  be  a  home,  it  is  surely  legitimate 
reasoning  to  infer  that  the  interest  of  those  who  are 
in  it  will  be  real  and  deep  and  fervent  towards  their 
younger  brothers  and  sisters  who  are  still  dwelling 
upon  earth,  and  who  are  preparing  to  join  them  in 
their  celestial  mansion. 

3.  The  inhabitants  of  heaven  and  God's  children  upon 
the  earth  constitute  but  one  family, 

"For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;    of  whom  the  whole  family 

f226l 


PHILOSOPHICAL  EVIDENCES.  227 

m  heaven  and  earth  is  named."  "For  it  pleased  the 
Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell."  "And 
having  made  peace  through  the  blood  of  his  cross,  by 
him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  himself;  by  him,  I 
say,  whether  they  be  things  in  earth  or  things  in 
heaven." 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  in  the  bosom  of  one  and  all 
God's  children,  both  in  heaven  and  upon  earth,  as  the 
Spirit  of  adoption,  —  their  life,  their  love,  their  centre, 
their  union.  God  is  their  Father ;  Jesus  is  their  elder 
Brother,  the  connecting  link,  making  the  children  of 
God  one,  both  those  who  are  in  heaven  and  those  also 
who  are  still  upon  earth.  You  who  are  believers  feel 
an  interest  in  many  of  God's  children  who  are  now 
in  glory,  if  not  in  them  all.  You  feel  an  interest  in 
your  now  glorified  mother,  who  has  entered  heaven 
before  you  ;  in  jour  father,  who  has  returned  and  come 
unto  Mount  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  ;  in 
your  beloved  child,  who  came  forth  like  a  beauteous 
flower,  which  withered  in  the  early  spring  of  life,  and 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  so  early  transplanted  to  the 
heavenly  paradise,  to  blossom  there  in  immortal  youth. 
Do  these  former  dear  friends  of  yours,  then,  who  are 
now  in  heaven,  not  reciprocate  this  interest?  If  you 
say  that  they  do  not,  where  is  this  set  forth,  I  ask  ?  and 
what  is  it  that  prevents  them  from  cherishing  this  ? 

It  is  quite  natural  for  the  members  of  a  family  to 
feel  for  each  other :  indeed,  it  would  be  unnatural 
were  they  not  to  do  so.     The  great  mistake  which 


228  •         PHILOSOPHICAL   EVIDENCES 

many  Individuals  commit,  when  thinking  of  this 
subject,  is  this, — they  do  not  view  God's  translated 
children  as  a  portion  merely  of  his  family,  the  other 
portion  still  dwelling  in  the  nations  and  in  the  homes 
of  earth.  Avoid  this  mistake.  Do  not  separate  what 
God,  by  his  Spirit,  joins  together  and  makes  on1. 
The  whole  children  of  God,  both  in  heaven  and  upo  1 
earth,  are  one  in  Christ  Jesus.  Those  who  are  up 
with  God,  if  they  possess  the  affection  of  children, 
and  feel  their  relationship,  through  Jesus,  to  their 
younger  brothers  and  sisters  who  are  still  in  a  state 
of  grace  below,  must  feel  a  loving  care  for  them.  Do 
not  imagine  that  those  who  are  in  heaven  are  inca- 
pable of  thinking,  or  that  they  never  think  about  the 
earth. 

4.  Those  who  are  in  heaven  have  a  largeness  of 
understanding  and  an  extent  of  knowledge  far  superior 
to  the  children  of  God  who  are  still  dwelling  upon 
earth. 

I  infer,  and,  I  think,  legitimately,  that  their 
increased  knowledge  will  dispose  them  to  feel  an 
increased  interest  towards  all  the  members  of  the  great 
family  of  God.  Take,  in  illustration,  the  case  of  an 
ignorant,  illiterate  individual,  who  is  totally  unac- 
quainted with  geography,  and  who  can  neither  read 
the  Bible,  to  learn  what  is  going  on  in  heaven  above 
him,  nor  even  the  newspapers,  to  learn  what  is  trans- 
acting in  the  earth  around  him.  You  will  find  that 
individual  exceedingly  contracted  in   his   views,    as 


FOR    THIS  INTEREST.  229 

regards  the  subjects  of  his  conversation,  and  the 
extent  of  his  solicitude.  Indeed,  he  feels  no  interest 
at  all,  and  this  just  because  his  knowledge  does  not 
.reach  so  far,  in  what  so  variously  agitates  the  wide, 
wide  world,  in  foreign  courts  and  nations,  or  even  in 
our  own  sovereign's  palace,  in  the  imperial  parliament 
of  Britain,  and  throughout  our  various  colonies. 
Indeed,  the  world  is  almost  a  blank  to  such  a  person, 
and  its  doings  make  no  impression  upon  him.  His 
interest  is  centred  in  his  own  little  locality,  in  the 
gossip  of  the  village  in  which  he  lives,  in  the  last  tale 
of  scandal  that  has  been  set  in  circulation  by  some 
busybody  through  the  parish.  What  the  world  is  to 
that  ignorant  and  narrow-minded  man,  so  is  heaven 
to  the  mere  groundling ;  yea,  even  to  many  a  con- 
tracted and  earthly-minded  Christian. 

Wherever,  accordingly,  we  find  in  an  individual 
enlarged  knowledge  and  increased  intelligence,  there 
we  also  find  an  increased  interest  in  the  world's  doings. 
His  views  are  not  circumscribed  by  the  boundaries  of 
his  own  little  locality,  and  his  interest  is  not  absorbed 
in  its  transactions.  What  the  learned  are  to  the 
unlearned,  the  wide-minded  to  the  narrow,  so  are  the 
now  glorified  to  the  yet  untranslated. 

5.  Those  who  are  in  heaven  are  in  possession  of  sym- 
pathy, and  are  thus  capable  of  feeling  an  interest  in  the 
whole  family  of  God. 

The  philosophy  of  sympathy  is  the  philosophy  of 
the  affections.    It  is  that  extraordinary  process,  which, 


230  PHILOSOPHICAL  EVIDENCES 

found  in  the  animalcule  and  the  man,  forms  the 
principle  of  association  in  the  species.  So  general  is 
it,  and  apparently  so  necessary,  that  we  cannot  even 
suppose  how  organized  and  sensitive  beings  could 
exist  without  it.  But  it  is  in  its  influence  over  masses, 
and  in  its  aspect  of  a  great  overruling  emotion,  that 
it  becomes  of  most  interest  to  us.  History  affords  us 
striking  examples  of  such  great  movings  in  entire 
nations,  and  our  own  times  are  not  without  signal 
cases. 

During  the  Russian  war,  a  thrill  of  this  universal 
power  went  to  the  very  heart  of  Britain,  when  the 
intelligence  reached  our  shores  from  the  Crimea,  and 
was  circulated  through  the  medium  of  the  British 
press  from  town  to  town,  and  from  home  to  home, 
that  our  brave  soldiers  there  were  perishing  piecemeal, 
not  by  the  bullets  or  bayonets  of  the  enemy,  so  much 
as  by  a  want  of  food  and  shelter,  and  by  the  murderous 
work  in  the  trenches.  During  the  Indian  revolt  and 
insurrection,  the  feeling  was  one  of  indignancy  at  the 
treason  and  cruelty  of  the  Sepoys,  occupying  all 
hearts,  and  pervading  the  entire  nation.  We  may 
thus  learn  something  of  the  working  of  that  power 
among  the  inhabitants  of  heaven.  We  are  to  look 
not  only  for  the  individual  sympathies,  but  also  those 
which,  being  true  to  the  occasion,  are  general 
throughout  one  great  division  of  mankind ;  even  that 
already  translated,  and  directed  to  the  other,  which 
comprehends  the  children  of  the  world.     The  very 


FOR    THIS  INTEREST.  231 

name  of  sympathy  implies  reciprocation  ;  and  we  have 
only  to  view  it  in  the  increased  individual  intensity 
pertaining  to  the  wish  that  our  friends  should  be  saved 
from  endless  misery,  to  comprehend  the  intensity  of 
the  feeling  spread,  and  increasing  as  it  goes,  through 
such  myriads  in  heaven. 

6.  The  whole  of  the  saved  who  are  now  in  heaven 
were  once  the  inhabitants  of  this  very  earth  upon  which 
we  now  dwell. 

It  is  from  this  earth  they  have  entered  the  kingdom 
above.  They  are  now  there ;  but  they  were  once 
here.  Yes,  here  they  were  born  ;  here  they  lived  the 
shorter  or  the  longer  periods  which  the  God  of  provi- 
dence and  salvation  appointed  them  to  spend  upon 
earth ;  here,  too,  they  were  born  again,  through  the 
quickening  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  became 
the  new  creation  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus ;  here  they 
spent  their  day  of  grace,  whilst  the  Sun  of  right- 
eousness was  shining  upon  them  from  God's  sometimes 
bright,  and  at  other  times  cloudy,  firmament ;  here 
they  passed  their  lives  in  social  intercourse  with  those 
who  were  near  and  who  were  dear  to  their  hearts ; 
here,  in  the  midst  of  their  sympathizing  and  often 
weeping  friends,  many  of  them  fell  asleep  in  Jesus, 
and  their  immortal  and  redeemed  spirits  rose,  and 
went  up,  and  entered  into  heaven,  where  they  now 
dwell,  and  are  as  happy  as  even  God  can  make  them. 
And  can  we  deem  it  possible,  that  those  members  of 
the  human  family  (and  there  are  multitudes  in  this 


232 


PHILOSOPHICAL  EVIDENCES. 


position,  whom  no  man  can  number),  who  have 
left  God's  green  earth  and  gone  up  into  his  home, 
feel  no  interest  in  those  they  have  left  behind  them, 
whose  salvation  they  felt  so  much  interest  in  when 
here? 


CHAPTEK    HI. 

SCRIPTURAL   EVIDENCE    OF   THIS   INTEREST. 

HERE  are  certain  doctrines  revealed,  and 
there  are  also  certain  events  referred  to,  in 
Holy  Scripture,  which   plainly  show,   that 

those  who  are  in  heaven  do  feel  an  interest  in  us  who 

are  dwelling  upon  the  earth. 


DOCTRINES. 

1.   The  doctrine  of  our  redemption. 

Redemption  is  a  monument  reared  for  eternity  to 
prove  the  interest  which  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit 
have  in  us.  Upon  that  monument  is  seen  the  inscrip- 
tion, "Herein  is  love;  not  that  we  loved  God,  but 
that  he  loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitia- 
tion for  our  sins."  The  creation  of  the  world  ;  of  the 
successive  generations  of  the  human  family ;  the  pre- 
servation of  that  great  work ;  the  ever-watchful  and 
providential  care  which  he  is  exercising  over  it,  whilst 
opening  the  hand  of  an  unwearied  and  of  an  inex- 

[233] 


234  SCRIPTURAL  EVIDENCE 

haustible  beneficence,  and  showering  down  upon  us, 
his  sinful  and  ungrateful  children,  innumerable  gifts, 
both  temporal  and  spiritual,  —  all  show  the  interest 
which  the  adorable  Godhead  has  in  us. 

God  has  never  left  himself  without  a  witness  of  this  ; 
giving  us  fruitful  seasons,  as  well  as  seasons  of  refresh- 
ing from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  from  the 
glory  of  his  power ;  filling  our  hearts  with  food  and 
gladness,  and  feeding  us  with  the  manna  from  heaven. 
He  is  making  the  outgoings  of  the  morning  and  of 
the  evening  to  rejoice  over  us.  Day  unto  day  is 
uttering  his  speech,  and  night  unto  night  is  teaching 
us  the  knowledge  of  his  love. 

But  it  is  the  work  of  redemption  which  most  con- 
spicuously and  strikingly  manifests  the  interest  of  the 
Godhead  in  his  children.  "In  this  was  manifested 
the  love  of  God  toward  us,  because  that  God  sent  his 
only-begotten  Son  into  the  world,  that  we  might  live 
through  him."  "Behold  what  manner  of  love  the 
Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be 
called  the  sons  of  God !  "  "  For  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever belie veth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life." 

Try  to  realize,  for  a  moment,  that  unsearchable 
love.  When  He,  the  Father,  not  only  covenanted 
with  Jesus,  the  Son  of  his  love,  for  our  salvation,  but 
when  he  actually  bestowed  upon  the  world  that  won- 
derful gift,  did  the  Father  love  Jesus  little,  and  was 


OF   THIS  INTEREST.  235 

he  thus  influenced  to  give  up  his  only-begotten  and 
well-beloved  Son  ?  No ;  but  he  loved  the  world 
and  its  sinful  inhabitants  much.  And  thus,  "when 
the  fulness  of  the  time  was  come,  God  sent  forth  his 
Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law,  to 
redeem  them  that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might 
receive  the  adoption  of  sons." 

It  now  appears  that  the  fulness  of  the  time  is  come. 
The  prophecies  that  for  ages  had  foretold  a  promised 
Deliverer  are  now  about  to  receive  their  fulfilment. 
Those  who  are  waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel 
are  engaged  in  prayer  day  and  night,  that  God  would 
remember  his  covenant,  fulfil  his  promise,  and  visit 
and  redeem  his  people. 

And  not  only  the  Lord's  children  here,  but  angels 
who  are  the  undying  courtiers  in  the  palace  of 
eternity,  and  the  whole  of  the  redeemed  who  are 
standing  in  their  white  robes  before  the  throne, 
are  upon  the  tip-toe  of  a  deeply  engrossing  expecta- 
tion which  has  so  long  been  cherished  in  the  high 
courts. 

If  we  ask  why  Jesus  thus  comes  to  earth  upon  the 
mission  of  our  salvation,  the  answer  can  be  nothing 
else  than  that  it  is  because  of  the  interest  which  both 
the  eternal  Father  and  the  eternal  Son  feel  in  our 
ultimate  destiny.  We  are  fallen  and  perishing  and 
lost,  and  God  pities  us,  and  does  not  wish  us  to  perish. 
Nor  has  he  any  other  way  to  save  us,  consistently 
with  the  principles  of  his  moral  government  over  the 


236  SCRIPTURAL   EVIDENCE 

universe  and  with  the  claims  of  eternal  justice,  but 
this, — the  incarnation  and  humiliation  and  death  of 
his  only-begotten  and  well-beloved  Son  :  yea,  so  great 
is  his  love,  so  great  his  desire  that  we  should  be  saved, 
that  he  does  not  withhold,  but  freely  gives  up  for  us, 
the  Son  of  his  love,  to  suffer  and  to  die,  to  deliver 
our  souls  from  death,  our  eyes  from  tears,  and  our 
feet  from  falling ;  to  compass  us  about  with  songs  of 
deliverance  ;  to  put  a  new  song  into  our  mouth,  even 
salvation. 

.2.  Christ's  mediatorial  reign  upon  the  throne  of 
heaven  shows  us  the  interest  that  exists  in  heaven  towards 
us  who  are  upon  the  earth. 

Though  Jesus  is  upon  the  throne,  he  reigns  not  for 
himself  only,  but  for  our  salvation.  The  kingdom, 
the  power,  and  the  glory,  all  belong  to  him.  He  is 
the  King  of  Zion,  he  is  the  Lord  of  glory ;  yet  all  is 
subservient  to  this  great  end.  "  The  Lord  said  unto 
my  Lord,  Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand,  until  I  make 
thine  enemies  thy  footstool.  The  Lord  shall  send  the 
rod  of  thy  strength  out  of  Zion  :  rule  thou  in  the 
midst  of  thine  enemies.  Thy  people  shall  be  willing 
in  the  day  of  thy  power,  in  the  beauties  of  holiness 
from  the  womb  of  the  morning :  thou  hast  the  dew 
of  thy  youth." 

3.  In  Christ's  intercession  before  the  mercy-seat  of 
heaven,  we  see  the  evidence  that  there  is  an  interest  exist- 
ing in  the  heavens  towards  us.  ' 

Whilst  the  Holy  Spirit  is  our  Intercessor  in  the 


OF   THIS  INTEREST.  237 

court  of  conscience,  the  Lord  Jesus  is  our  Intercessor 
in  the  court  of  heaven.  "  We  have  an  Advocate  with 
the  Father,  —  Jesus  Christ,  the  righteous."  "  For 
Christ  is  not  entered  into  the  holy  places  made  with 
hands,  — which  are  the  figures  of  the  true,  —  but  into 
heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God 
for  us."  "Who  shall  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of 
God's  elect  ?  It  is  God  that  justifieth.  Who  is  he 
that  condemneth?  It  is  Christ  that  died ;  yea,  rather 
that  is  risen  again ;  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of 
God  ;  who  also  maketh  intercession  for  us."  Christ's 
intercession  in  heaven  is  thus  graphically  referred  to 
by  the  Apostle  John  in  the  Apocalypse  :  w  And  an- 
other angel  came  and  stood  at  the  altar,  having  a 
golden  censer  ;  and  there  was  given  unto  him  much 
incense,  that  he  should  offer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all 
saints  upon  the  golden  altar  which  was  before  the 
throne.  And  the  smoke  of  the  incense,  which  came 
with  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  ascended  up  before 
God  out  of  the  angel's  hand." 

An  advocate  has  an  interest  in  his  clients  whose 
cause  he  pleads.  The  fact  that  the  Lord  Jesus,  in 
the  economy  of  redemption,  is  our  Intercessor  with 
the  Father  in  the  court  of  heaven,  shows  the  interest 
which  he  feels  in  us,  as  he  bears  us  upon  his  heart, 
and  pleads  our  cause,  and  procures  for  us  the  Holy 
Spirit,  along  with  all  those  heavenly  blessings  which 
he  died  to  purchase,  and  which  he  now  lives  and 
reigns  freely  to  bestow. 


238  SCRIPTURAL   EVIDENCE 

4.  The  Holy  Spirit's  procession  from  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  upon  the  mission  of  our  personal  salvation, 
shows  the  interest  in  us  that  exists  in  heaven. 

The  interest  which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  in  us,  mani- 
fested in  his  mission  of  love  to  save  us,  is  sadly,  and 
to  a  most  melancholy  extent,  overlooked  by  many 
Christians,  as  well  in  their  conversational  intercourse 
with  each  other,  as  in  their  prayers,  in  their  preach- 
ing, in  their  writings,  and  in  their  actings  of  faith. 

We  are  impressed  with  wonder  and  amazement 
when  we  think  of  this  marvellous  work,  undertaken 
gratuitously  by  the  mighty  Maker  of  heaven  and  of 
earth ;  passing  by  the  angels  who  fell ;  withdrawing 
the  eye  of  his  pity  from  them  in  their  ruin ;  looking 
down  from  his  throne  in  his  sympathy  and  in  his  love 
upon  us ;  and  sending  forth  his  only-begotten  and 
well-beloved  Son,  upon  a  mission  of  humiliation  and 
tears,  to  redeem  us  by  bearing  our  sins  in  his  own 
body,  even  to  death. 

But  how  little  do  we  feel  impressed  with  right,' 
realized,  and  living  gospel  views  of  this  most  wonder- 
ful condescension  !  How  much  do  we  make  of  man's 
gratitude  to  man  !  The  virtue  is  praised  as  contain- 
ing in  itself  all  virtues  ;  and  he  who  is  without  it  is 
said  to  be  the  very  worst  of  mankind,  of  whom 
almost  any  evil  may  be  expected.  How  seldom  are 
these  views  applied  to  the  relationship  between  the 
creature  and  the  Creator  ;  between  him  who  gets  all, 
even  that  gratitude  itself,  so  much  more  pleasant  to 


OF   THIS  INTEREST.  239 

the  giver  than  to  the  recipient,  and  him  who  gives  all, 
even  life  itself,  yea,  salvation  itself,  but  for  which 
life  would  be  a  curse  ! 

With  what  feelings  would  you  be  penetrated,  were 
you  at  this  moment  to  look  up  from  the  page  you  are 
reading,  and  see  the  morning  of  eternity  bursting 
forth  upon  you  in  its  sublimity ;  and,  as  you  held  in 
your  breath  whilst  you  were  listening,  to  hear  the 
voice  of  the  archangel  proclaiming  to  a  startled 
world,  "  There  shall  be  time  no  longer  /"  and,  moreover, 
to  see  Jesus,  the  second  Person  of  the  adorable 
Trinity,  coming  forth  to  the  judgment ;  to  hear  the 
minstrelsy  around  him  of  attending  angels  and  glori- 
fied saints ;  while  around  you  there  were  springing 
from  their  graves  in  the  churchyards  a  mighty 
throng  to  meet  the  train  from  above  !  And  yet  how 
strange  and  awful  the  thought,  that  all  this  may  take 
place  any  instant !  Nay,  the  time  has  already  drawn 
so  near,  that  the  chance  of  its  suddenly  startling  the 
world,  even  in  our  day,  is  so  great,  that,  were  an 
equal  chance  to  involve  the  peril  of  some  worldly 
possession  upon  which  your  heart  is  set,  you  would 
be  filled  with  horror  and  dismay.  But  the  difference 
is  not  difficult  to  account  for.  The  prophecy  has 
sounded ;  but  man  is  asleep,  and  not  only  asleep,  he 
is  dreaming  of  gold,  and  the  conventional  distinctions 
of  a  sybaritic  age.  "What !  know  ye  not  that  your 
body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  in  you, 
which  ye  have  of  God,  and  ye  are  not  your  own?" 


240  SCRIPTURAL  EVIDENCE 

5 .  The  existence  of  the  means  of  grace,  in  the  visible 
Church  of  Christ,  shows  the  interest  which  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Spirit  have  in  us. 

The  means  of  grace  are  not  the  institutions  of 
man :  they  are  the  ordinances  of  the  living  God ; 
they  are  the  divine  institutions  of  Jesus,  who  is  the 
Head  of  the  Church ;  and  we  should  never  forget 
the  great  truth,  that  he  has  instituted  them  in  love  to 
the  world,  for  the  conversion  of  the  unconverted,  and 
for  the  edification  of  the  children  of  God. 

By  neglecting  the  means  of  grace,  you  despise  and 
neglect  Him  who  ordained  them.  These  institutions 
of  grace  ought  to  be  your  greatest  delight.  When 
the  Christian  sabbath  shines  upon  you  who  are  the 
members  of  Christ's  Church,  you  may  see  the  interest 
which  the  Lord  of  the  sabbath  has  in  you.  When 
the  church-bells  ring  throughout  Scotland  on  the 
sabbath  morning,  to  invite  you,  its  Christian  popula- 
tion, to  leave  your  homes,  and  go  up  to  your  several 
churches,  that  you  may  join  there  in  the  public 
worship  of  the  God  of  your  salvation,  you  hear  the 
interest  which  the  Lord  Jesus  has  in  you  :  "I  was  in 
the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  Day,  and  heard  behind  me  a 
great  voice,  as  of  a  trumpet,  saying,  I  am  Alpha  and 
Omega,  the  first  and  the  last.  And  I  turned  to  see 
the  voice  that  spake  with  me ;  and,  being  turned,  I 
saw  seven  golden  candlesticks ;  and,  in  the  midst  of 
the  seven  candlesticks,  one  like  unto  the  Son  of  man, 
clothed  with  a  garment  down  to  the  foot,  and  girt 


OF   THIS  INTEREST.  241 

about  the  paps  with  a  golden  girdle.  His  head  and 
his  hairs  were  white  like  wool,  as  white  as  snow ; 
and  his  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire  ;  and  his  feet  like 
unto  fine  brass,  as  if  they  burned  in  a  furnace  ;  and 
his  voice  as  the  sound  of  many  waters.  And  he  had 
in  his  right  hand  seven  stars,  and  out  of  his  mouth 
went  a  sharp  two-edged  sword ;  and  his  countenance 
was  as  the  sun  shineth  in  his  strength.  And,  when  I 
saw  him,  I  fell  at  his  feet  as  dead.  And  he  laid  his 
right  hand  upon  me,  saying  unto  me,  Fear  not ;  I 
am  the  first  and  the  last :  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and 
was  dead;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore, 
Amen ;  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death." 
When  you  listen  to  the  man  of  God,  the  ambassador 
of  Christ,  preaching  to  you  the  glorious  gospel  from 
the  pulpit  as  ye  sit  in  your  pews,  you  see  Christ's 
interest  in  you ;  for,  in  the  voice  of  the  herald  of  the 
cross,  you  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus  addressing  you, 
who  is  the  minister  of  the  sanctuary  and  of  the  true 
tabernacle,  which  the  Lord  pitched,  and  not  man. 
"When  you  are  privileged  to  sit  down  in  God's  ban- 
queting-house  at  the  table  of  communion,  you  see 
Christ's  interest  in  you ;  for  he  instituted  the  ordi- 
nance of  the  Supper,  and  his  covenant  presence  is  in 
the  midst  of  you,  his  assembled  people,  at  its  every 
celebration.  The  Lord  Jesus  meets  you  there,  over- 
shadows you  with  the  cloud  of  his  covenanting  love ; 
and  partaking  spiritually  of  his  body,  which  is  meat 
indeed,  and  of  his  blood,  which  is  drink  indeed,  you 

11 


242 


SCRIPTURAL   EVIDENCE. 


are  able  individually,  with  the  mystic  spouse,  exult- 
ingly  to  exclaim,  "I  sat  down  under  his  shadow  with 
great  delight,  and  his  fruit  was  sweet  to  my  taste. 
He  brought  me  into  the  banqueting-house,  and  his 
banner  over  me  was  love." 


mmmmmM 


■mmmm 


CHAPTER  IV. 


SCRIPTURAL  EVIDENCE  OF  THIS  INTEREST  {continued). 


DOCTRINES   (continued). 

HE  mission  of  angels  to  earth  shows  us  the 
interest  which  those  who  are  in  heaven  feel 
in  us. 

Heaven  is  the  home  in  which  angels  permanently 
reside.  "Their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face 
of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  "  The  chariots  of 
God  are  twenty  thousand,  even  thousands  of  angels  : 
the  Lord  is  among  them,  as  in  Sinai,  in  the  holy 
jilace."  "I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the  voice  of  many 
angels  round  about  the  throne,  and  the  beasts,  and  the 
elders ;  and  the  number  of  them  was  ten  thousand 
times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands  of  thousands." 
M  And  all  the  angels  stood  round  about  the  throne,  and 
about  the  elders  and  the  four  beasts,  and  fell  before 
the  throne  on  their  faces,  and  worshipped  God." 

The  word  "  angels  "  means  "  messengers  ;  "  and  the 
high  intelligences  thus  designated  receive  their  names, 
not  because  they  make  their  way  through  the  heavens 

[243] 


244  SCRIPTURAL   EVIDENCE 

to  execute  God's  command,  but  because  they  visit  the 
earth  to  perform,  in  behalf  of  its  inhabitants,  his  mes- 
sages and  will.  Angels  come  down  out  of  heaven, 
and  meet  at  this  lower  creation's  natal  hour,  like  a 
number  of  rejoicing  friends  assembling  in  a  home 
where  a  child  has  been  born,  and  sing  together  crea- 
tion's birth-song ;  even  as  this  earth  arose  at  God's 
command  in  its  beauty  and  sinlessness,  and  took  its 
place  in  the  circle  as  one  of  the  orbs  in  the  system  of 
the  sun.  An  angel  from  heaven  intimates,  to  the 
shepherds  of  Bethlehem,  Christ's  advent  to  the  world. 
An  angel  intimates  to  Joseph,  in  a  dream,  Herod's 
murderous  instructions  respecting  the  young  child. 
In  fhe  garden  of  Gethsemane,  whilst  the  Lord  Jesus 
is  stretched  in  his  agony  with  his  face  upon  the 
ground,  an  angel  from  heaven  strengthens  him.  An 
angel  rolls  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sep- 
ulchre where  Jesus  is  lying  and  sleeping  coldly  and 
silently  among  the  dead.  Two  angels  appear  to  the 
bereaved  and  sorrowing  disciples,  in  white  apparel, 
upon  the  Mount  of  Olivet,  at  the  very  moment  that 
Christ's  ascension  is  taking  place,  and  just  at  the 
time  that  he  is  disappearing  from  their  view  behind 
the  veil  of  the  intervening  cloud,  and  thus  addresses 
them :  "  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing 
up  into  heaven?  This  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up 
from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner 
as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven."  On  the  great 
day  of  judgment,  angels  are  "to  gather  the  elect 


OF   THIS  INTEREST.  245 

together  from  one  end  of  heaven  even  to  the 
other." 

I  believe  that  what  Jacob  sees  at  Bethel  is  still 
taking  place  in  a  mystical  way.  The  ladder  of  Christ's 
mediation  rests  upon  the  earth ;  the  top  of  it  is  reach- 
ing to  the  heavens ;  and,  without  intermission,  the 
angels  of  God  are  ascending  and  descending  upon  it 
in  their  missions  of  watchfulness  and  love  in  our  be- 
half. "  Are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth 
to  minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation  ?  " 
"Because  thou  hast  made  the  Lord,  which  is  my 
refuge,  even  the  Most  High,  thy  habitation,  there 
shall  no  evil  befall  thee,  neither  shall  any  plague 
come  nigh  thy  dwelling.  For  he  shall  give  his  angels 
charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways.  They 
shall  bear  thee  up  in  their  hands,  lest  thou  dash  thy 
foot  against  a  stone."  And  all  this  shows  us  their 
interest  in  the  earth. 

The  Bible  gives  us  a  description  of  God's  dealings 
with  this  world  during  the  long  period  of  nearly  four 
thousand  years ;  and,  during  the  whole  of  that  long 
history,  we  are,  by  many  incidental  expressions,  re- 
minded of  the  intense  solicitude  which  angels  feel  in 
what  is  going  on,  not  in  heaven  merely,  but  on  the 
earth  also.  These  missions  of  angels  are  not  to  be 
looked  upon  by  us  as  banishments  from  heaven, 
enforced  upon  them  by  Him  who  is  Lord  both  of 
angels  and  of  men.  They  are,  on  the  contrary,  will- 
ing embassages  of  joy. 


246  SCRIPTURAL   EVIDENCE 

Since  the  canon  of  Scripture  was  closed,  and  since 
the  period  when  these  inspired  descriptions  have 
ceased  to  be  given  of  God's  dealings  with  the  human 
family,  have  angels  ceased  to  take  any  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  earth?  Because  their  missions  of  love  to 
the  world  and  in  behalf  of  man  are  no  longer  recorded 
by  the  pen  of  inspiration,  are  they  no  more  taking 
place  ?  and  are  these  angels  not  coming  forth  to  visit 
us  now  ?  Have  they  retired  up  into  their  holy  places 
to  take  their  ease,  and  fold  their  hands  in  idleness, 
and  to  sit  motionless  in  their  seats  of  honor,  yea,  ever 
since  the  beloved  disciple  wrote  these  words?  —  "I 
Jesus  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these 
things  in  the  churches.  I  am  the  root  and  the  off- 
spring of  David,  and  the  bright  and  morning  star." 
Have  they,  in  short,  like  Jesus,  one  and  all  now 
ascended  up,  not  again  to  visit  earth  until  the  last 
day  dawns?  In  other  words,  have  they  ceased  to 
feel  any  interest  in  what  is  going  on  among  the  chil- 
dren of  the  valley  ?  It  cannot  be  !  These  missions 
and  that  interest  will  only  terminate,  when,  at  the  last 
day,  the  earth  itself  shall  be  burned  up. 

Angels  are  not  omniscient,  like  Him  who  is  seated 
upon  the  throne,  the  Lord  both  of  angels  and  of  men; 
but  I  have  already  alluded  to  certain  circumstances 
which  distinctly  and  plainly  intimate  that  their  know- 
ledge is  very  great.  It  is  as  the  ocean,  whilst  ours  is 
as  the  small  and  circumscribed  lake.  It  is  as  the  sun, 
that  has   already  been   shining   six   thousand  years ; 


OF   THIS  INTEREST.  247 

whilst  ours  is  as  the  candle  that  burns  for  a  while  and 
goes  out.  The  youngest  angel  in  heaven  must  be,  at 
the  least,  nearly  six  thousand  years  old,  whilst  man 
upon  the  earth  is  but  the  creature  of  a  day.  Angels 
can  fly  and  expatiate  through  the  whole  glorious  realms 
of  heaven,  nay,  the  whole  boundless  universe,  as  well 
as  up  and  down  among  the  nations  and  the  homes  of 
earth ;  whilst  we  are  circumscribed  by  miles. 

Angels  see  the  heavens  spread  around  them  in  all 
their  glory  and  magnificence.  They  know  about,  and 
they  probably  see  from  afar,  the  regions  of  that  terri- 
ble hell  into  whose  fiery  bosom  a  portion  of  their 
number  has  fallen,  the  smoke  of  whose  torment  as- 
cendeth  upwards  full  in  their  view  for  ever  and  ever. 
They  see  the  earth  spread  out  like  a  visible  panorama 
beneath  them,  as  they  look  down  upon  it  out  of  the 
windows  of  heaven,  or  as  they  fly  over  it,  even  as 
the  eagle  flies,  and  turns  its  sun-lit  eye  upon  the  plains. 
They  see  its  inhabitants,  and  know  that  through  Jesus 
they  constitute  a  portion  of  the  family  of  God.  They 
know  the  value  of  the  soul  of  man,  which  they  be- 
held at  first  formed  after  the  image  of  God,  and  which 
is  capable  of  being  transformed,  through  grace,  into 
the  holy  image  of  the  glorified  Redeemer.  They 
know  the  preciousness  of  Christ's  blood,  and  the 
blessed  fruits  that  result  from  a  participation  in  his 
great  salvation.  They  feel  that  Christ  is  their  Cove- 
nant-head for  eternity,  as  well  as  the  Head  of  the 
Church  ;  for  God  hath  gathered  together  all  things  in 


248  SCRIPTURAL    EVIDENCE 

him,  both  which  are  in  heaven  and  which  are  upon 
the  earth,  —  even  in  him.  They  thus  feel  that  they 
belong  to  the  same  family  in  which  believers  are 
numbered. 

7.    The  glorified  members  of  the  human  family  who 
are  in  heaven  feel  an  interest  in  us  who  are  upon  th 
earth. 

Even  were  there  not  a  word  in  the  Bible  referring 
to  the  interest  which  God's  children  in  heaven  feel  in 
the  earth,  I  would  be  inclined  to  infer  it  from  the 
fact,  that  angels  who  are  now  their  companions,  and 
who  live  with  them  in  the  same  home  of  love,  feel 
this  interest.  What  is  the  subject  of  interest  to  one 
portion  of  a  united  and  loving  family  is  generally 
the  subject  of  interest  to  them  all. 

Does  the  sailor  who  is  shipwrecked,  but  who  is 
picked  up  by  the  life-boat  and  is  borne  safely  to  land, 
feel  less  interest  in  the  deliverance  of  his  comrades 
who  are  still  floating  in  the  boiling  sea,  and  strug- 
gling with  its  tumbling  billows,  than  those  landsmen 
do  who  crowd  the  shore  in  their  sympathy,  and  exert 
themselves  for  their  rescue,  but  who  were  never  en- 
circled by  similar  dangers?  And  do  angels,  who 
were  never  shipwrecked  by  sin  upon  the  great  ocean 
of  existence,  and  who  stand  in  no  need  of  the  life- 
boat of  salvation,  feel  greater  interest  in  the  lost  chil- 
dren of  men,  in  their  everlasting  rescue  from  the 
great  ocean  of  God's  wrath,  than  those  glorified  ones 
of  the  human  family  do,  as  they  stand  in  their  robes 


OF   THIS  INTEREST.  249 

of  glory  upon  the  shores  of  Immanuel's  land,  and  are 
beholding  the  tumbling  billows  still  around  their  for- 
mer comrades  with  whom  they  once  sailed  the  sea  of 
life  ?     I  feel  assured  they  do  not. 

Moreover,  do  not  the  glorified  who  are  up  in  heaven 
now  completely,  and  in  every  feature  of  their  moral 
image,  resemble  Jesus?  and  are  they  not  followers, 
imitators,  of  God  ?  Then  we  know  that  Father,  Son, 
Holy  Ghost,  feel  an  interest  in  the  earth,  in  the  spread 
of  the  gospel  through  the  world,  and  in  the  salvation 
of  the  poor,  perishing  children  of  men  who  are  ex-* 
posed  to  danger  through  sin.  As  God  is  love,  so  are 
those  also  who  are  now  glorified. 

Paul  thus  expresses  the  emotions  and  desires  of  his 
soul  towards  Israel  whilst  in  the  world  :  "Brethren, 
my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  for  Israel  is,  thai 
they  might  be  saved."  Has  Paul  no  interest  in  the 
salvation  of  Israel  now  ?  If  he  has  not,  he  is  much 
changed  in  his  present  state  of  glory  up  yonder  from 
what  he  was  whilst  in  a  state  of  grace  upon  earth. 
Isaiah  thus  gives  expression  to  the  wish  of  his  heart, 
whilst  down  among  us  in  this  world,  that  the  salvation 
of  Israel  were  come  out  of  Zion,  and  that  the  lamp  of 
the  glorious  gospel  were  lifted  up  upon  all  the  dark 
places  of  the  earth  :  "  For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not  hold 
my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not  rest, 
until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as  brightness, 
and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a  lamp  that  burnetii." 
Has  Isaiah  no  interest  in  the  spread  of  the  gospel 
11* 


250  SCRIPTURAL    EVIDENCE 

now?  The  apostles,  at  the  command  of  Jesus,  and 
immediately  after  his  glorious  ascension  into  heaven 
to  sit  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne,  went 
forth  in  the  name  and  as  the  ambassadors  of  their 
ascended  Lord,  to  carry  the  message  of  salvation  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  God  knows  what  they  en- 
countered of  opposition  and  persecution  and  privation 
and  danger,  and  even  death  itself;  and  have  these 
apostles  no  interest  in  the  spread  of  that  gospel  now  ? 
Let  this  exhortation  tell:  "Rejoice  over  her,"  —  the 
fall  of  the  mystical  Babylon,  —  "thou  heaven,  and 
ye  holy  apostles  and  prophets  ;  for  God  hath  avenged 
you  on  her  : "  an  exhortation  implying  that  the  apos- 
tles and  prophets  who  are  in  heaven  feel  an  interest 
in  the  spread  of  Christ's  kingdom  of  glory  and  grace, 
and  in  the  downfall  of  Antichrist.  If  they  had  not, 
they  would  not  be  called  upon  to  rejoice  when  great 
Babylon  falls.  If  they  have  not,  then  they  neither 
resemble  Him  who  is  upon  the  throne,  nor  the  angels 
who  stand  together  with  them  before  it. 

Look  for  a  moment  to  the  fulfilment  of  that 
prediction,  over  which  these  apostles  and  prophets 
are  called  upon  to  rejoice.  Lo  !  spiritual  and  mystical 
Babylon  has  come  up  in  remembrance  before  God. 
The  man  of  sin  is  destroyed  by  the  brightness  of 
Christ's  coming.  Peter's  chair,  the  incarnation  of 
superstition  and  idolatry  and  of  all  unrighteousness, 
is  overturned,  and  is  lying  broken  in  the  deserted 
palace  through  which  popes  and  cardinals  and  proud 


OF   THIS  INTEREST.  251 

ecclesiastics  once  stalked  in  their  lordliness  and  arro- 
gance, and  he,  perhaps  the  last  pope,  is  lying  spiritual- 
ly dead  beside  that  broken  font  of  the  fallen  chair  ! 
Yes,  Popery  has  tottered,  and,  like  a  mighty  city  full 
of  iniquity,  has  fallen  with  a  loud  crash.  The  city 
of  all  abominations  is  laid  desolate  at  the  feet  of  the 
Almighty.  Over  this  consummation  —  may  the  Lord 
God  in  his  holy  sovereignty  hasten  the  period  of  its 
arrival !  —  the  proclamation  I  have  already  quoted 
comes  out  from  the  throne,  addressed  specially  and 
particularly  to  the  two  classes  to  whom  I  have 
referred. 

The  Apostle  John  was  once  in  the  isle  that  is  called 
Patmos,  for  the  word  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus. 
His  whole  soul  was  on  fire  for  the  success  of  the 
Redeemer's  cause,  and  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel, 
even  as  if  his  lips  had  been  touched  by  a  live  coal 
from  off  the  altar  of  heaven.  And  has  that  fire  been 
quenched,  its  light  extinguished? 

Look  at  the  emotions  of  love  to  the  human  race 
that  have  throughout  a  past  eternity  existed  in  the 
very  heart  of  our  Father.  Consider  the  desires  and 
longings,  and  eternal  glowings  of  solicitude,  for  the 
salvation  of  the  world,  that  exist  and  circulate  in  the 
bosom  of  Jesus.  Observe  the  manifestations  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  makes  in  behalf  of  our  salvation, 
whilst  making  intercessions  for  us  with  aspirations 
that  cannot  be  uttered.  Look  at  the  care  which 
an^ek   have   ever   shown   for   the    salvation  of  the 


252  SCRIPTURAL   EVIDENCE. 

perishing,  and  for  the  spread  of  Christ's  glorious 
gospel.  Then  look  at  the  fact,  that  the  glorified  in 
heaven  constitute  a  portion  of  that  family  of  which 
Christ  is  the  Head,  the  other  portion  being  made  up 
of  angels ;  and  you  will  feel,  I  am  sure,  naturally 
and  irresistibly  led  to  infer,  along  with  me,  that  these 
glorified  ones,  who  are  standing  in  their  robes  of  white 
before  the  throne  of  God,  must  feel  an  interest  in  the 
earth,  and  in  us  who  are  upon  it. 

The  glorified  who  are  in  heaven  felt  an  interest 
once  in  the  spread  of  Christ's  gospel  upon  earth. 
They  are  at  home  now,  and  are  living  in  the  presence 
of  their  Father,  and  are  walking  through  heaven  with 
Jesus,  their  elder  Brother ;  but  if  they  have  no 
interest  in  the  world,  and  in  the  children  of  God 
whom  they  have  left  behind  them  here,  then  they  are 
unsocial  and  selfish  and  unbrotherly  children,  stand- 
ing cold  and  unfeeling  and  heartless,  so  far  as  their 
brethren  upon  earth  is  concerned,  rejoicing  in  their 
own  gladness. 

It  may  be  that  you  have  been  parted  by  death 
from  friends  once  dear  to  you ;  may  now  feel,  in  the 
midst  of  the  business  and  pleasures  and  sins  of  the 
world,  no  interest  whatever  in  those  departed  friends 
who  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus,  and  who  have  gone 
up  and  entered  into  heaven  ;  indeed,  you  may  perhaps 
never  now  think  about  them  at  all :  but  rest  assured, 
be  verily  persuaded  of  this,  that  they  feel  an  interest 
in  you  still. 


CHAPTER  V. 


EVENTS    SHOWING   HEAVEN'S    INTEREST   IN   US. 


HERE  are  many  stick  events  mentioned  in 
Holy  Scripture.  I  will  refer,  in  illustration, 
only  to  a  few. 

1.  The  overthrow  of  Paganism,  and  the  establishment 
of  Christianity,  under  the  Emperor  Constantine,  is  an 
event  that  awakens  the  interest  of  those  who  are  in 
heaven,  and  causes  a  deeper  if  not  a  new  tide  of 
congratulation  and  joy  to  flow  over  all  its  happy 
inhabitants. 

Over  this  transaction  the  glorified  are  called  upon 
to  rejoice.  "  And  there  was  war  in  heaven  :  Michael 
and  his  angels  fought  against  the  dragon ;  and  the 
dragon  fought,  and  his  angels,  and  prevailed  not ; 
neither  was  their  place  found  any  more  in  heaven. 
And  the  great  dragon  was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent, 
called  the  Devil  and  Satan,  which  deceiveth  the  whole 
world  :  he  was  cast  out  into  the  earth,  and  his  angels 

[253] 


254  EVENTS  SHOWING 

were  cast  out  with  him.  And  I  heard  a  loud  voice 
saying  in  heaven,  Now  is  come  salvation  and  strength, 
and  the  kingdom  of  our  God,  and  the  power  of  his 
Christ ;  for  the  accuser  of  our  brethren  is  cast  down, 
which  accused  them  before  our  God  day  and  night. 
And  they  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony ;  and  they  loved 
not  their  lives  unto  the  death.  Therefore  rejoice,  ye 
heavens,  and  ye  that  dwell  in  them." 

The  following  is  the  commentary  given  of  this 
passage  by  Burkitt,  one  of  the  most  judicious  of 
divines  :  "After  Michael  and  his  angels',  Christ  and 
his  followers',  victory  over  the  dragon  and  his  angels, 
over  Satan  and  his  instruments,  here  follows  a  solemn 
thanksgiving  for  the  Devil's  downfall.  The  saints  in 
heaven  join  with  believers  on  earth  in  their  song  of 
confidence  and  triumph.  When  they  speak  of  God, 
they  say,  our  God ;  and,  when  they  speak  of  the 
Church  below,  they  say,  ow  brethren.  Behold  a 
sweet  communion  between  the  Church  militant  and 
the  Church  triumphant !  Indeed,  they  constitute  and 
make  up  but  one  Church,  one  family,  one  household : 
the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  but  one." 

All  the  emotions  of  our  moral  nature  are  infectious 
and  communicative.  Thus,  whatever  gives  joy  to 
the  saints  upon  earth,  we  may  naturally  infer,  vibrates 
upwards  to  the  heavens,  touches  the  bosoms  of  the 
saints  in  glory,  and  circulates  through  all  the  hosts 
who  surround  the  throne  of  God. 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  255 

2.  The  fall  of  Babylon,  the  overthrow  and  downfall 
of  Popery,  is  an  event  that  sends  a  thrilling  emotion  of 
the  intensest  interest  upwards,  and  throws  a  gush 
of  the  most  delightsome  joyousness  through  the  whole 
population  of  heaven.  "  And,  after  these  things,  I 
saw  another  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  having 
great  power ;  and  the  earth  was  lightened  with  his 
glory.  And  he  cried  mightily  with  a  strong  voice, 
saying,  Babylon  the  great  is  fallen,  is  fallen.  .  .  . 
Rejoice  over  her,  thou  heaven,  and  ye  holy  apostles 
and  prophets ;  for  God  hath  avenged  you  on 
her." 

3.  The  universal  spread  of  the  gospel  throughout  the 
world,  the  rising  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness  upon 
all  the  dark  and  benighted  regions  of  the  earth,  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  going  forth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  channel  of  the  mighty  deep,  the  ends  of 
the  earth  beholding  the  salvation  of  the  Lord,  is  an 
event  that  attracts  the  notice  of  the  crowding  hosts  in 
heaven,  and  circulates  a  tide  of  holy  rapture  far  and 
wide  through  all  their  exulting  and  rejoicing  ranks. 
"  And  the  seventh  angel  sounded ;  and  there  were 
great  voices  in  heaven,  saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this 
world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of 
his  Christ ;  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever. 
And  the  four  and  twenty  elders,  which  sat  before  God 
on  their  seats,  fell  upon  their  faces,  and  worshipped 
God,  saying,  We  give  thee  thanks,  O  Lord  God 
Almighty,  which  art,    and  wast,   and  art  to  come, 


256  EVENTS  SHOWING 

because  -thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy  great  power,  and 
hast  reigned." 

4.  Christ's  transfiguration  is  an  event  which  shows 
the  interest  those  in  heaven  feel  in  the  transactions  of 
earth.  The  following  is  the  inspired  description  of 
this  most  instructive  incident :  "  And  it  came  to  pass 
about  an  eight  days  after  these  sayings,  he  took  Peter 
and  John  and  James,  and  went  up  into  a  mountain  to 
pray ;  and,  as  he  prayed,  the  fashion  of  his  counte- 
nance was  altered,  and  his  raiment  was  white  and 
glistering.  And,  behold,  there  talked  with  him  two 
men,  which  were  Moses  and  Elias  ;  who  appeared  in 
glory,  and  spake  of  his  decease  which  he  should 
accomplish  at  Jerusalem." 

Contemplate  for  a  little  this  meeting  that  takes 
place  upon  the  mount  of  transfiguration.  Jesus 
appears  there  in  his  glory.  His  face  shines  like  the 
sun,  and  his  raiment  becomes  white  like  the  light. 
In  this  transfigured  appearance,  you  see  a  glimpse  of 
the  glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the 
world  was.  You  see  also,  by  contrast,  the  depth  of 
humiliation  into  which  the  Son  of  God  stooped,  when 
he  took  our  nature  into  conjunction  with  his  divine, 
and  came  down  into  this  world  to  seek  and  to  save 
the  perishing  children  of  men. 

Were  you  to  see  the  highest  archangel  in  heaven 
suddenly  divested  of  all  his  high  attributes,  his 
splendor,  and  beauty  of  form,  in  which  he  stands 
before  the  throne  of  God,  and  to  become  changed 


.HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US.  257 

into  a  worm  of  the  earth ;  were  you  to  see  the  sun 
in  the  sky  all  of  a  sudden  eclipsed,  shorn  of  his  light, 
and  changed  into  a  clod  of  the  valley,  you  would  not 
see  such  a  transfiguration,  such  a  change,  as  took 
place,  when  Jesus,  who  stood  throughout  a  past 
eternity,  in  all  the  glory  of  his  divine  nature,  behind 
the  veil  that  hides  heaven  from  us,  made  himself  of 
no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a 
servant,  and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men. 

Jesus  was  rich  in  the  possession  of  all  the  attributes 
of  the  Godhead,  rich  in  the  praises  of  heaven,  rich 
in  the  fellowship  and  communion  of  the  Father  and 
of  the  Spirit,  through  the  whole  roll  of  the  eternal 
ages  that  are  past ;  but  for  our  sakes  he  became  poor, 
that  we,  through  his  poverty,  might  be  made  rich. 
When  looking  at  Jesus  shining  in  such  glory  as  he 
exhibited  upon  the  mount  of  transfiguration,  we  are 
apt  to  imagine  that  we  see  something  about  him  there 
and  then  that  is  extraordinary ;  a  glory  that  did  not 
inherently  and  eternally  and  unchangeably  belong 
to  him.  But  when  we  remember,  that,  whilst  Jesus 
is  man,  he  is  also  God,  that  all  the  fulness  of  the 
Godhead  dwells  in  him  bodily,  should  we  not  rather 
be  inclined  to  wonder  why  it  was  that  he  did  not 
exhibit  that  appearance  always,  whilst  associating 
here  below  with  his  disciples,  and  whilst  walking  to 
and  fro  among  the  towns  and  villages  and  homes  of 
Judaea  ?  Upon  the  mount  of  transfiguration  he  draws 
aside  the  veil ;  and  there,  for  the  first  and  only  time 


258  EVENTS  SHOWING 

during  his  bodily  sojourn  upon  the  earth,  he  shines 
forth  in  his  unveiled  glory  and  majesty.  I  do  not 
attempt  to  describe  the  Kedeemer's  appearance  at  this 
moment  of  his  transfiguration.  Any  attempt  to  do 
this  would  only  tend  to  becloud  that  ineffable  efful- 
gence, and  subject  me  to  the  rebuke,  "Who  is  this 
that  darkeneth  counsel  by  words  without  know- 
ledge?" 

We  must  be  content  with  the  conviction,  that  His 
unveiled  appearance  must  be  glorious,  who,  on  the 
morning  of  creation,  said,  "  Let  there  be  light,  and 
there  was  light ; "  who  covereth  himself  with  light  as 
with  a  garment ;  from  whose  presence,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  creation,  there  shot  a  beam  that  lighted  up  the 
long-previously  benighted  creation,  removed  the  pre- 
ceding night  of  eternal  darkness,  gave  to  the  sun  his 
noonday  splendor,  and  to  the  moon  and  stars  their 
silvery  twinkling.  His  unveiled  appearance  must  be 
effulgent  indeed,  and  terribly  resplendent,  in  whose 
presence  the  very  angels  of  heaven,  through  all  their 
shining  and  praising  ranks,  bow  down,  veil  their  faces 
with  their  wings,  and  unceasingly  cry,  "Holy,  holy, 
holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts  :  the  whole  earth  is  full  of 
his  glory."  That  unveiled  splendor  and  manifested 
glory  must  indeed  be  effulgent  and  awfully  dazzling, 
whose  appearing  in  our  sky  on  the  great  and  terrible 
day  of  the  Lord  is  to  bring  a  bright  and  lovely  morn- 
ing to  the  long,  deep,  dark  night  of  the  grave,  — a 
morning  that  is  to  flash  in  upon  the  slumbering,  and, 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  259 

on  the  part  of  the  living,  often-neglected  and  forgot- 
ten, population  of  the  grave. 

Fifteen  hundred  years  had  rolled  over  this  world, 
bringing  in  their  train  many  changes,  since  Moses,  at 
God's  bidding,  went  up  to  Mount  Nebo,  and  there, 
with  no  human  friend  near  him  to  close  his  eyes,  died 
before  the  Lord,  left  his  body  upon  the  mount, 
ascended  from  earth,  and  entered  into  heaven.  A 
thousand  years  had  passed  away,  since  Elijah,  without 
tasting  of  death,  ascended  from  earth  in  his  chariot 
of  fire,  with  his  bright  convoy  of  attending  angels ; 
taking  doubtless* a  fond,  lingering,  but  not  a  last 
look  of  the  mountains  and  valleys  and  churchyards 
of  earth,  where  others  lay  buried,  whilst  he  was  ex- 
empted from  going  down  there  to  lie  among  them, 
and  went  up  and  entered  into  heaven. 

We  cannot  tell  what  was  passing  in  heaven,  the 
unseen  world,  the  home  of  holy  and  unchanging  love, 
when  the  command  went  forth  from  God  who  is  upon 
the  throne  to  these  two,  Moses  and  Elias,  selected 
from  all  the  mighty  assemblages  of  glorified  saints 
who  were  standing  along  with  them  before  the  throne 
of  God,  to  leave  for  a  little  the  minstrelsy  of  heaven. 
These  two  glorified  saints  did  not  assuredly  volunteer 
themselves  to  undertake  this  mission  to  the  mount  of 
transfiguration,  to  pay  a  visit  to  earth,  where  they 
once  dwelt,  and  acted  a  conspicuous  part  among  their 
fellow-men. 

Neither  can  we  tell  whether  or  not  theirs  was  a 


260  EVENTS  SHOWING 

solitary,  unparalleled,  and  unprecedented  visit  to  this 
earth,  upon  the  occasion  of  Christ's  transfiguration ; 
nor  whether  or  not  they,  or  many,  or  all  the  re- 
deemed, who  are  assembled  in  heaven  and  who  dwell 
in  it,  are  permitted  by  God  to  leave  heaven  at  stated 
times  to  visit  the  world,  and  to  walk  with  Jesus  in- 
visibly, and  discourse  with  him  inaudibly  to  those 
around ;  nor  whether  or  not  other  patriarchs  and  pro- 
phets were  privileged  by  God  to  relinquish  for  a  little 
the  praises  of  eternity,  that  they  might  pay  to  Jesus 
similar  visits  whilst  he  remained  upon  earth.  We  do 
not  know  why  more  of  the  redeemed  did  not  accom- 
pany, upon  this  occasion,  these  two  bright  emigrants 
from  these  far-off  shores,  to  mingle  again  for  a  little 
among  the  clouds  and  obscurities  of  time,  to  see  in 
Christ's  appearance  the  great  effulgence  he  was  to 
exhibit  to  the  whole  population  of  the  skies,  when  he 
ascended  and  entered  again  upon  the  glory  which 
he  had  with  the  Father  before  this  world  was.  We  can 
see,  however,  a  peculiar  significance  in  the  selection 
by  God  the  Father,  upon  this  particular  occasion,  of 
these  two  special  envoys  from  his  court  in  the 
heav*ens. 

The  law  and  the  prophets  were  until  John.  Moses 
is  chosen  as  the  living  type  of  the  law,  as  the  imper- 
sonification  of  the  Mosaic  economy,  and  as  the 
representative  of  all  who  were  then  in  heaven,  saved 
from  and  through  that  economy.  Elias  was  distin- 
guished among  the  prophets  of  the  Lord  whilst  he 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US.  261 

remained  upon  earth,  not  by  his  writings,  for  he  has 
left  none,  but  by  his  works,  his  zeal  for  the  cause  of 
the  Lord,  and  by  his  fearless,  yea,  thundering  denun- 
ciations against  the  works  and  the  workers  of  iniquity  ; 
and  he  is  selected  upon  this  occasion  to  represent  the 
prophets  collectively  who  were  in  heaven,  one  of  whom 
had  thus  described  the  coming  and  the  appearing  of 
Jesus  :  "  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edjm,  with 
dyed  garments  from  Bozrah  ?  this  that  is  glorious  in 
his  apparel,  travelling  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength? 
I  that  speak  in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save.  Where- 
fore art  thou  red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy  garments 
like  him  that  treadeth  in  the  wine-fat  ?  I  have  trod- 
den the  wine-press  alone ;  and  of  the  people  there 
was  none  with  me  :  for  I  will  tread  them  in  mine 
anger,  and  trample  them  in  my  fury  ;  and  their  blood 
shall  be  sprinkled  upon  my  garments,  and  I  will 
stain  all  my  raiment.  For  the  day  of  vengeance  is 
in  mine  heart,  and  the  year  of  my  redeemed  is 
come." 

These  two  resplendent  messengers  from  on  high 
are  thus  most  discriminately  and  appropriately  chosen 
as  the  representatives  of  all  the  children  of  Grod'who 
were  then  saved ;  and,  in  the  selection  of  these  two 
representatives  of  the  whole  Church  triumphant,  we 
see  the  interest  manifested,  evidenced,  proved,  which  all 
who  were  then  in  glory,  and,  let  me  add,  of  all  who 
are  now  in  heaven,  feel  in  the  earth,  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  Christ's  mediatorial  work  upon  it,  and 


262  EVENTS   SHOWING 

specially  in  the  great,  momentous,  and  solemn  event 
of  Christ's  death,  which  he  was  to  accomplish  at 
Jerusalem. 

How  many  grave  thoughts  occur  to  us  connected 
with  this  great  event !  What  consultations  the  glori- 
fied may  have  had  with  one  another  and  with  angels 
before  this  representative  mission  to  earth  took  place ; 
how  long,  previously  to  its  taking  place,  the  know- 
ledge of  it  was  known  and  circulated  in  heaven, — we 
cannot  tell.  Elisha  and  the  sons  of  the  prophets  are 
aware  a  considerable  time  before  of  Elijah's  ascension ; 
and  the  whole  tribes  of  Israel  are  aware  that  Moses 
was  to  leave  them,  and  go  up  to  the  Mount  of  Nebo, 
and  die.  The  sons  of  the  prophets  looked  on,  and 
witnessed  Elijah  leave  the  earth  and  rise  towards 
heaven  in  his  chariot  of  flame.  The  whole  assem- 
bled Israelites  beheld  Moses  leaving  them.  So,  for 
any  thing  we  can  tell,  the  same  thing  may  have  hap- 
pened to  these  two  glorified  saints,  when  they  left  the 
population  of  heaven  again  to  revisit  the  earth. 

Alike  unknown,  though  not  uninteresting,  is  the 
answer  to  the  questions,  whether  or  not  the  whole  of 
the  assembled  hosts  saw  Moses  and  Elias  leave  their 
resplendent  ranks  ;  whether  or  not  they  accompanied 
them  to  the  outskirts  of  the  world  of  bliss,  and  saw 
them  issue  forth  through  the  opened  gates  of  the  new 
Jerusalem,  descend  and  shoot  away  from  heaven 
towards  the  earth,  like  two  shining  stars  passing 
down  from  the  high  firmament,  to  take  their  place  for 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US.  263 

a  little  in  the  lower  earth,  and  to  carry  with  them 
thither  the  form  and  appearance  with  which  they 
shone  in  heaven  ;  or  whether  or  not  the  whole  assem- 
blies of  the  skies,  whom  Moses  and  Elias  came  to 
represent  in  the  presence  of  Jesus,  saw  them  reach  the 
earth,  light  in  their  descent  upon  the  mount  of  trans- 
figuration, and  stand  there  face  to  face  with  Jesus  in 
his  glory.  It  is  possible  they  did ;  nay,  more,  it  is 
highly  probable,  —  it  is  almost  morally  certain. 

Whilst  Moses  and  Elias  thus  appear  upon  the 
mount  of  transfiguration  to  represent  the  Church 
above,  and  the  interest  which  the  glorified  feel  in  the 
earth  in  the  mission  of  Jesus  and  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  work,  and  whilst  the  three  chosen  disci- 
ples are  there  with  Jesus,  as  the  representatives  of  the 
Church  in  gospel  times,  the  Shechinah,  the  symbolic 
cloud  of  God's  presence  and  beatitude,  so  well  known 
in  Israel,  overshadows  the  mount,  upon  which  the 
Church  triumphant  and  the  Church  militant,  in  their 
representatives,  meet  as  one,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
himself  being  the  glorious  centre,  with  the  day-dawn 
and  splendor  of  heaven  appearing  as  if  the  sun  shone 
from  behind,  and  bordered  with  light,  as  if  fringed 
with  the  emanations  of  the  day-spring  from  on  high. 

Again  :  notice  the  conversation  which  Moses  and 
Elias  held  with  Jesus  upon  the  mount  of  transfigura- 
tion. They  spoke  of  the  decease  which  he  was  to 
accomplish  at  Jerusalem.  This  conversation  most 
distinctly  and  convincingly  shows  us  that  the  event  of 


264  EVENTS   SHOWING 

Christ's  approaching  death  upon  Calvary  was  awaken- 
ing a  deep  interest  among  all  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven.  Did  Moses  and  Elias,  and  through  them  the 
whole  celestial  inhabitants,  show  such  an  interest  on 
the  mount  of  transfiguration  in  the  anticipation  of 
Christ's  death  ?  and  had  they  ceased  to  feel  that  solici- 
tude when  it  was  actually  accomplishing  without  the 
gates  of  Jerusalem ;  when  Jesus  was  extended  in  ex- 
cruciating agony  upon  the  cross ;  when  the  sun  was 
turned  into  darkness,  as  if  he  had  swooned,  and  be- 
come black  in  the  agonies  of  death,  at  the  sight  of 
Jesus,  his  Creator,  writhing  in  the  throes  of  a  fearful 
dissolution ;  when  the  rocks  were  rending ;  when 
the  earth  was  trembling  and  shaking  and  crashing 
to  its  centre  ;  when  an  invisible  hand  was  tearing  the 
veil  of  the  temple  from  the  top  to  the  bottom ;  when 
the  women  were  in  tears  ;  and  when  the  whole  of  the 
disciples,  with  the  exception  of  the  Apostle  John, 
were  looking  on  afar  off  in  the  deepest  anxiety  and 
consternation  ? 

Whilst  the  whole  of  the  lower  creation,  far  and 
near,  above  and  below,  near  the  cross  and  far  away 
from  it,  was  thus  convulsed,  and  manifesting  an  awful 
interest  in  the  bloody  tragedy,  was  God's  higher  crea- 
tion unmoved?  Were  the  inhabitants  of  heaven 
unfeeling,  uninterested,  and  quite  untouched  by  the 
tides  of  sympathetic  sorrow  that  were  flooding  the 
world  below  ?  Were  they  going  on  with  their  song 
of  praise  in  heaven,  just  as  if  nothing  unusual  had 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  265 

been  transacting  on  earth?  Did  the  glorified  then 
resemble'  a  little  child  coming  singing  with  thought- 
less jo j  into  the  room,  and  near  the  bed  upon  which 
his  or  her  father  is  lying  in  the  agonies  of  death  ?  But 
if  the  anticipation  of  Christ's  decease  was  a  subject  of 
such  interest,  yea,  anxiety,  to  the  saints  in  glory,  as  is 
evidenced  by  the  conversation  of  Moses  and  Elias 
upon  the  mount  of  transfiguration,  what  must  have 
been  the  feeling  caused  by  the  accomplishment ,  the 
endurance ,  the  actual  suffering,  of  that  decease,  to  the 
inhabitants  of  heaven  ! 

Look  to  yonder  home.  A  child  of  many  a  hope 
and  many  a  prayer  is  upon  her  dying  bed.  The 
cup  of  affliction  is  put  by  God,  who  rules  in  provi- 
dence, into  that  sufferer's  young  hand,  and  death  is  in 
the  cup  !  That  is  a  beloved  daughter.  Yes,  she  is  the 
beloved  of  the  whole  household, — the  light  of  her 
parents'  eyes,  the  joy  of  her  brothers'  and  sisters' 
hearts.  She  grew  up  in  her  beauty  in  that  home  of 
love,  and  blossomed  into  womanhood :  but,  alas  for 
our  fading  joys  here  !  an  untimely  frost  has  descended 
upon  her  opening  spring ;  and,  lo  !  it  has  suddenly 
withered  the  rose  that  but  lately  spread  itself  out  upon 
her  healthful  cheek ;  it  has  caused  the  lily  upon  her 
brow  to  fade  ;  it  has  bedimmed  the  gleam  of  gladness 
that  but  lately  beamed  from  her  eye  ;  and  she  is  lying 
there  now  in  the  tremblings  and  tossings  and  dis- 
tressing sinkings  of  dissolution. 

Is  there  no  interest  existing  in  the  bosoms  of  the 
12 


266  EVENTS  SHOWING 

other  members  of  that  family,  whilst  the  evening  of 
life  is  closing  in  fast  around  that  sickened  but  still 
beloved  one  of  their  number,  and  whilst  in  silence, 
and  with  the  suppressed  emotions  of  sympathy  and  fear 
heaving  their  bosoms,  they  look  on,  and  witness  the 
sufferings  of  the  poor  invalid,  and  listen  to  the  heavy 
groanings  that  bear  evidence  that  the  last  closing 
scene  is  already  near?  The  mother  is  in  tears  at  her 
beloved's  bedside ;  she  is  bending  with  a  heaving 
bosom  over  her ;  she  is  wiping  the  large  drops  of 
perspiration  from  her  forehead ;  and  is  ever  and  anon 
wetting  the  parched  lips  with  wine,  and  kissing  the 
fevered  brow ;  the  father's  bosom  heaves  with  grief ; 
and  the  brothers  and  sisters  are  feeling  most  acutely 
the  pain  of  parting  with  one  whom  they  all  love  so 
well. 

Is  this  interest  felt,  and  do  these  emotions  exist,  in 
the  home  upon  earth,  where  a  beloved  member  of  the 
family  is  sick  and  about  to  die?  What,  then,  was 
the  feeling,  oh  !  what  was  the  soul-thrilling  emotion, 
that  was  pervading  and  stirring  the  bosoms  of  all  that 
were  dwelling  in  yonder  home  of  love,  which  has  no 
small  family  in  it,  when  Jesus,  the  beloved  of  all, 
was  upon  the  cross,  and  was  sinking  in  the  closing 
agonies  !  Oh  !  what  were  the  ineffable  sympathies 
that  flowed  through  the  Father's  bosom,  when  from 
his  throne  he  looked  down  upon  the  world  in  sack- 
cloth, beheld  the  Son  of  his  love  in  the  agonies  of 
dissolution,  and  listened   to   him   enveloped   in   the 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  267 

horrors  of  deep  darkness,  as,  lifting  his  voice,  he 
exclaimed,  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  for- 
saken  me  ? "  What  the  thrillings  and  dismay  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  when  he  beheld  the  darkness  of  a  terrible 
night  descending  upon  the  bosom  of  Jesus,  and 
pondered  the  awful  spectacle,  knowing  that,  by  the 
covenanted  arrangements  of  the  Godhead  in  eternity, 
he  was  not,  by  his  enlightening  and  comforting  influ- 
ences, instantly  to  remove  that  darkness,  and  to  bring 
into  its  place  the  light  of  returning  joy,  and  the  smile 
of  the  Father's  love !  What  the  heart-throes  of 
angels,  as  they  hovered  upon  their  wings  of  light  and 
love,  trembling  with  emotion  above  and  around  the 
cross,  and  looking  down  upon  the  awful  spectacle 
they  saw  upon  and  around  the  hill  of  Calvary  !  And 
what  the  wonder  and  sympathy  of  the  glorified,  as 
they  beheld  the  cross,  and  Jesus  upon  it,  heard  his 
dying  cry,  or  listened  to  their  Father's  declaration, 
w  The  hour  is  come,"  the  time  arrived,  amid  the  revolv- 
ing cycles  of  predicted  events,  when  Christ's  decease 
is  actually  accomplishing  at  Jerusalem  ! 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

EVENTS   SHOWING  HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN  US. 

I) 


SINNER'S  repentance  is  an  event  that 
awakens  an  interest  in  the  bosoms  of  all 
who  are  in  heaven. 
These  are  the  words  of  Jesus  in  reference  to  this 
important  fact :  "  Likewise  I  say  unto  you,  There  is 
joy  in  the  presence  of.  the  angels  of  God  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth."  "I  say  unto  you,  That  like 
wise  joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth." 

A  sinner's  repentance  is  an  event  which  often 
awakens  a  lively  emotion  in  the  bosoms  of  all  Chris- 
tians. Paul's  repentance,  and  establishment  in  the 
faith,  was  an  event  hailed  as  a  triumph  by  all  the  fol- 
lowers of  Jesus  ;  and  afterwards  thousands  of  be- 
lievers sung  for  joy,  and  lifted  to  the  God  of  their 
salvation  the  voice  of  thanksgiving,  for  that  Paul  had 
been  led,  in  a  season  of  mercy,  to  feel  the  godly  sor- 

[268] 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  269 

row  for  sin  that  worketh  repentance  not  to  be  repented 
of.  The  father  of  the  prodigal  son  felt  his  bosom 
tumultuating  with  joy  and  tenderness  when  he  de- 
scried from  afar  the  well-known  figure  of  his  now 
penitent  child  on  his  way  back  to  the  home  of  his 
youth,  with  a  crushed  heart  and  a  contrite  spirit ;  for 
he  exultingly  exclaims,  "It  was  meet  that  we  should 
make  merry  and  be  glad  :  for  this  thy  brother  was 
dead,  and  is  alive  again  ;  and  was  lost,  and  is  found." 
The  broken-hearted  mother,  and  poor,  hungry,  neg- 
lected, and  cheerless  children,  —  previously  desolate 
souls,  —  feel  an  indescribable  joy  when  they  see  their 
formerly  drunken  husband  and  father  reclaimed 
through  religion,  and  become  a  sober  and  an  indus- 
trious man.  The  Christian  mother  and  father  rejoice 
over  their  careless  and  ungodly  son,  visited  by  the 
converting  and  saving  grace  of  God,  and  turning  his 
feet  into  the  ways  of  His  testimonies.  The  minister 
is  all  sympathy  and  gratitude  when  he  contemplates 
the  work  of  conversion  and  evangelical  repentance 
manifesting  itself  visibly  amongst  his  dear  people ; 
witnesses  the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  preached  by 
him  from  the  pulpit,  carried  home  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  his  hearers ;  and 
beholds  another  and  another  among  them  not  merely 
made  to  tremble  as  Felix  did,  but  turned  to  the  Lord, 
becoming  partakers  of  the  heavenly  gift,  tasting  the 
good  word  of  God,  and  feeling  upon  their  souls  the 
powers  of  the  world  to  come.     The  Lord's  people 


270  EVENTS   SHOWING 

upon  earth  raise  anthems  of  praise  and  thanksgiving 
when  they  see  converts  flying  to  Jesus  as  the  doves 
to  their  windows ;  when  they  see  troops  of  pilgrims 
pressing  onwards  towards  the  celestial  city,  and  weep- 
ing prodigals  on  their  way  back  to  their  Father's 
home,  lifting,  as  they  go,  the  humble  eye  of  an  appro- 
priating faith  to  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  their 
faith. 

Who  has  not  felt  his  inmost  soul  glow  with  equal 
warmth  whilst  reading  about  the  Pentecostal  awaken- 
ing that  has  come  down  upon  the  South-Sea  Islands, 
or  the  accounts  of  the  late  revivals  in  America,  in 
Ireland,  and  throughout  many  parishes  of  our  own 
beloved  Scotland? 

But,  in  the  passages  of  Scripture  I  have  already 
quoted,  Jesus  himself  announces,  in  the  words  of  eter- 
nal truth,  that  this  interest  in  a  sinner's  repentance 
is  not  confined  to  earth,  —  it  embraces  and  fills  a  much 
wider  sphere ;  that,  in  fact,  it  vibrates  upwards,  and 
enters  the  crowded  heavens;  runs  as  if  with  the  inaudible 
throbbings  of  an  electric  conductor  from  breast  to 
breast,  and  from  rank  to  rank,  throughout  the  world 
of  glory.  "  There  is  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner 
that  repenteth." 

That  there  is  thus  an  interest  felt  among  the  inha- 
bitants of  heaven  over  a  sinner's  repentance  upon 
earth,  is  not  a  mere  probability,  — a  mere  supposition 
made  by  man,  in  his  fanciful  musings  and  imaginative 
wonderings,  respecting  what  may  be  existing  in  the 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  271 

world  of  glory  in  relation  to  man's  salvation.  It  is 
expressly  asserted  by  Jesus  himself,  who  is  the  faith- 
ful and  true  witness ;  whose  eyes  are  as  a  flame  of 
fire ;  who  looks  abroad  through  all  the  boundless 
regions  of  creation,  beholding  with  one  comprehen- 
sive and  omnipresent  survey  the  whole  inhabitants  of 
heaven,  of  earth,  and  of  hell.  "Neither  is  there  any 
creature  that  is  not  manifest  in  His  sight ;  but  all 
things  are  naked  and  opened  unto  the  eyes  of  Him 
with  whom  we  have  to  do." 

The  assertion  which  Jesus  makes  is,  that,  the  mo- 
ment in  which  the  godly  sorrow  for  sin  is  undulating 
and  flowing  through  the  bosom  of  the  penitent  sinner, 
there  is  a  new  joy  circulating  through  the  bosoms  of 
all  who  are  in  heaven.  At  the  very  moment  the  pub- 
lican is  in  the  temple,  not  daring  to  lift  his  face  to 
heaven,  but  is  smiting  upon  his  breast  with  downcast 
eyes,  and  is  exclaiming,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner  ! "  at  the  moment  Paul  is  asking,  struck  down 
and  stretched  upon  the  ground,  beneath  the  effulgent 
glory  of  Christfs  unveiled  presence,  "  Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?"  at  the  very  moment  Mary 
Magdalene  is  standing  behind  her  Lord,  with  her 
tears  running  down  her  cheeks  in  such  a  stream  that 
therewith  she  actually  washes  her  Redeemer's  feet, 
and  wipes  them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head ;  at  the 
moment  Jesus,  seated  in  glory  at  the  Father's  right 
hand,  opens  the  windows  of  heaven,  and  pours  forth 
the  Pentecostal  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the 


272  EVENTS   SHOWING 

multitudes  who  are  assembled  in  the  temple  of  Jeru- 
salem, listening  to  the  Apostle  Peter  preaching  to 
them  the  gospel  in  the  name  of  his  exalted  Redeemer, 
and  whilst  three  thousand  are  crying  in  the  agonies 
of  conviction,  "Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ?" 
at  the  very  moment  the  earthquake  is  shaking  the 
prison,  and  a  soul-quake  is  moving  the  bosom  of 
the  Philippian  jailer,  and  he  is  putting  the  question 
to  Paul  and  Silas,  "What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?" 
at  the  very  moment  the  poor,  humbled,  downcast  sin- 
ner, wherever  he  is,  and  however  circumstanced,  is  led 
by  the  gracious  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  feel 
that  he  has  a  soul  that  needs  to  be  saved,  and  who  is 
crying  to  God  for  help, — that  individual  is  the  object 
of  a  deep  and  of  an  engrossing  attention,  and  of  a 
thrilling  interest,  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  heaven. 

The  language  which  Jesus  utters,  when  he  tells  us 
that  there  is  an  interest  felt  in  heaven  over  the  repent- 
ance of  every  sinner,  at  the  very  moment  it  is  taking 
place  upon  earth,  reminds  us  that  there  is  a  communi- 
cation, such  as  we  too  seldom  realize,  betwixt  the 
inhabitants  of  earth  and  those  above.  Such  a  declara- 
tion proves,  that,  however  we  may  dream  about  the 
far-off  kingdom,  nevertheless  the  earth  is  such  a  near 
door-neighbor  to  heaven,  that  what  is  taking  place 
upon  its  surface  is  not  only  known,  but  is  felt,  in  the 
world  of  peace ;  showing  that  the  mode  of  communica- 
tion is  quick  and  accurate  betwixt  the  two  worlds 
Christ's  language,  in  reference  to  a  sinner's  repentance 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  273 

reminds  us  that  the  earth  is  not  wandering  along  its 
orbit,  in  the  face  of  these  high  heavens,  unseen, 
unnoticed,  and  uncared  for  by  the  glorious  and  num- 
berless inhabitants  who  are  up  in  security,  and  in 
possession  of  the  great  reward.  The  language  re- 
minds us,  that  there  is  not  such  a  distance,  that  there 
is  not  such  a  silent  and  sepulchral  void  stretching 
betwixt  the  two  worlds,  as  many  of  us  are  apt,  in  our 
unrealizing  and  contracted  views,  to  imagine ;  for,  in 
the  words  I  have  already  quoted,  He  who  is  upon  the 
throne  asserts,  that  the  sight,  or  the  knowledge,  by 
communication,  of  the  tears  of  a  penitent  within  one 
of  the  homes  of  this  world,  sends  up  a  new  and 
exulting  emotion  among  all  the  happy  myriads  who 
are  congregated  before  the  throne  of  God. 

And  let  it  not  be  objected,  that  the  words  which  I 
have  quoted  are  the  only  two  passages  in  the  Scrip- 
tures which  expressly  assert  that  there  is  joy  awakened, 
and  consequently  an  interest  excited,  among  the  in- 
habitants of  heaven,  over  every  returning  wanderer 
upon  earth  ;  for  even  one  distinct  announcement  made 
by  God  himself,  in  his  truth-revealing  and  blessed 
Word,  is  enough  to  establish,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
every  believer,  any  one  doctrine  or  tenet.  Besides, 
God  did  not  give  us  the  Bible  to  gratify  a  vain  and 
never-satisfied  curiosity  about  heaven,  and  about  what 
is  going  on  in  it ;  but  to  instruct  us  in  the  mystery  of 
salvation,  and  to  point  out  to  us  the  path  that  will, 
through  Jesus,  lead  us  to  it. 

12* 


274  EVENTS   SHOWING 

The  Bible  is  our  spiritual  chart  upon  the  sea  of  life. 
The  compass  of  the  mariner  gives  him  no  description 
of  the  country  towards  which  he  is  sailing, — it  merely 
points  silently  in  the  direction  in  which  the  poles  lie ; 
and  this  enables  him  to  sail  on  in  the  right  course 
that  leads  to  his  wished-for  haven.  And  when  the 
Lord  Jesus  leaves  for  a  season  the  bosom  of  the  Fa- 
ther, the  throne  of  glory,  the  praises  of  the  skies, 
bows  the  heavens  and  comes  down,  lights  upon  the 
earth,  and  mingles  among  the  children  of  this  world, 
and  speaks  face  to  face  with  perishing  men,  it  is  but 
seldom,  I  admit,  that  he  draws  aside  the  veil  of  eter- 
nity, and  speaks  of  what  is  going  on  in  yonder  home. 
Instead  of  doing  this,  he  employs  himself  almost 
constantly  in  announcing  to  the  lost  what  they  must 
do  to  be  saved.  He  ministers  not  habitually  to  the 
insatiable  cravings  of  an  idle  and  of  a  wondering 
curiosity,  but  he  soothes  and  satisfies  the  emotions  of 
the  penitent's  heart,  by  assuring  him,  through  two 
distinct  and  emphatic  announcements,  that  his  con- 
dition at  the  moment  of  his  repentance  is  the  cause  of 
a  new  joy,  and  awakens  a  holy  interest,  among  all  the 
inhabitants  of  heaven  ;  and,  consequently,  he  need  not 
fear  that  he  will  be  unpitied  by  God,  and  overlooked 
and  neglected  by  the  members  of  his  great  family. 

This,  my  readers,  was  what  the  necessity  of  your  con 
dition  required. 

We  find  a  parallel  upon  earth.  Were  any  one  of 
you  called  to  take  your  stand  upon  the  shore  of  the 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  275 

tempestuous  ocean  ;  were  you  to  look  forth,  and  sur- 
vey the  troubled  bosom  of  the  great  deep  upon  which 
the  storm-wind  has  descended,  to  heave  its  waters, 
and  to  roll  them  into  great  mountains,  light  of  foot 
and  giddy  in  head ;  were  you  to  behold  in  the  midst 
of  the  foaming  waves  a  vessel  that  had  become  all 
unmanageable,  driven  and  tossed  (for  the  winds  and 
the  waves  have  gained  the  mastery  over  it) ,  carried 
towards  the  roaring  breakers,  then  dashed  upon  the 
projecting  rocks,  where  it  is  in  no  long  time  shivered 
and  broken  in  pieces ;  were  you,  in  these  circum- 
stances, to  venture  your  life  for  the  deliverance  of 
those  who  were  drowning,  to  tie  the  rope  round  your 
waist,  and  swim  out  from  the  shore  among  the  uproar 
of  waters,  to  attempt  the  rescue  of  the  shipwrecked 
mariner,  as  he  lay  near  you  floating,  tossed  up  and 
down,  and  every  moment  about  to  sink  into  a  watery 
grave, — you  would  not,  I  suspect,  waste  precious  time 
in  trying  to  raise  your  voice  above  the  noise  of  the 
storm,  with  the  object  of  describing  to  him  the  beauty 
of  your  country,  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  the  number  of 
its  population,  or  even  the  interest  which  those  crowd- 
ing the  shore  feel  in  his  deliverance.  Your  first  and 
chief  object  would  be  to  snatch  the  drowning  man 
from  a  watery  grave ;  to  give  him  such  directions  as 
might  enable  him  to  reach  the  shore. 

Sin  is  a  storm-wind  that  has  shivered  every  one  of 
the  noble  vessels  of  humanity  that  has  been  launched 
successively  from  the  dockyard  of  immortality  by  God 


276  EVENTS  SHOWING 

himself.  The  great  ocean  of  existence  was  once 
placid  and  calm,  and  the  noble  vessels  God  was  pre- 
paring to  send  upon  it  were  destined  by  him  to  sail 
over  a  tranquil  sea,  and  to  enter  a  peaceful  haven  of 
glory  upon  the  shores  of  Immanuel's  land.  It  is 
otherwise  now.  Sin  has  come  down  like  a  terrific 
whirlwind  upon  that  once-calm  sea.  And  now,  in 
this  very  world,  where  all  might  have  been  peaceful 
and  calm,  the  storm  of  God's  wrath  is  upon  every 
child  of  Adam  ;  the  rolling  billows  of  divine  displea- 
sure are  around  us  ;  the  rugged  rocks  of  perdition  are 
towering  and  frowning  upon  us  from  the  shore  of  the 
eternity  that  is  before  us ;  and  the  foaming  breakers 
are  roaring  in  our  hearing,  and  they  are,  alas  !  not 
very  far  off.     Oh  !  meanwhile  we  are  about  to  sink. 

But,  lo,  the  Ark  of  Salvation  is  not  far  off!  It  is 
riding  over  the  troubled  waters,  and  is  sailing  tran- 
quilly  and  peacefully  in  the  midst  of  the  spiritually 
shipwrecked  and  perishing  and  lost.  Jesus  speaks, 
in  the  hearing  of  those  who  are  every  moment  about 
to  go  down,  not  so  much  of  heaven,  and  of  what  is 
going  on  in  it,  as  of  the  way  in  which  the  perishing 
may  be  saved  and  may  enter  it.  Thus  it  happens, 
that_ Jesus,  merely  in  an  incidental  manner,  refers,  in 
the  two  passages  quoted,  to  the  interest  that  is  felt 
in  heaven,  and  the  joy  that  is  awakened  there,  over 
the  repentance  of  a  sinner  upon  earth. 

Your  repentance,  who  close  with  God  in  covenant 
through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,   is  the  Holy  Spirit's 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  277 

work ;  and,  in  the  greatness  of  the  Agent  who  per- 
forms it,  you  see  the  importance  of  the -work  that  is 
wrought  and  done.  Eepentance  is  the  Spirit's  work  ; 
and  this  of  itself  shows  that  it  is  no  trifle.  Your 
repentance  is  your  translation  from  death  into  life  ;  it 
is  your  spiritual  passage  from  a  state  of  nature  into  a 
state  of  grace,  from  darkness  into  light,  from  the  king- 
dom of  Satan  into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son. 

In  the  momentous  hour  of  your  evangelical  repent- 
ance, Satan  loses  a  subject  who  was  previously  led 
captive  by  him  at  his  will ;  God  gains  a  once-lost 
child ;  Jesus  receives  a  new  subject  into  his  king- 
dom of  grace,  and  a  new  gem  into  his  mediatorial 
crown  ;  Satan's  kingdom,  to  some  extent,  totters,  and 
gives  way ;  Christ's  kingdom  is  advanced. 

Your  repentance,  besides,  is  an  event  which  you 
may  reasonably  believe  is  known  in  hell,  as  well  as 
in  heaven  and  upon  earth.  Fallen  angels  roam  the 
earth,  and  strive  to  gain  the  mastery  over  your  souls. 
"  And  you  hath  He  quickened  who  were  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sins ;  wherein  in  time  past  ye  walked 
according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  according  to 
the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  the  spirit  that  now 
worketh  in  the  children  of  disobedience."  "Put  on 
the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  stand 
against  the  wiles  of  the  Devil.  For  we  wrestle 
not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  principalities, 
against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of 
this    world,    against    spiritual    wickedness    in    high 


278  EVENTS  SHOWING 

places."  When  Satan  and  his  fallen  legions  are  dis- 
possessed of  the  citadel  of  your  soul,  are  driven  from 
the  garrison  of  your  heart,  are  vanquished  and  over- 
come and  thrown  back  by  the  mighty  and  divine 
influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  tidings  of  such  an 
event,  which  these  lost  and  now  discomfited  spirits 
will  assuredly  carry  to  the  place  of  woe,  will  spread 
a  deeper  gloom  and  a  fiercer  glare  over  all  the  fiery 
caverns  of  the  lost.  The  painful  thrill  of  an  igno- 
minious defeat,  such  as  is  felt  throughout  a  kingdom 
when  a  subject  is  lost,  taken  captive,  and  carried  away, 
thrills  through  all  the  burning  regions.  Yes,  those 
who  are  there  feel  in  every  such  transaction  that  a 
soldier  is  lost  to  their  army,  and  a  subject  is  taken 
captive,  and  is  carried  out  of  their  kingdom  ;  and  this 
spreads  over  the  whole  of  hell's  vanquished  and 
screaming  population  the  distress  and  the  horror  of  a 
sore  discomfiture. 

But,  mourning  penitent,  the  tidings  of  your  repent- 
ance spread  a  very  different  feeling,  and  create  a  very 
different  interest,  among  the  inhabitants  of  heaven. 
Over  your  repentance,  heaven  rings  jubilee  ;  and  mul- 
titudes without  number,  feeling  the  thrill  of  a  new 
sensation  and  the  glow  of  a  higher  emotion  of  joy, 
pour  forth  their  seraph-voices  in  this  hallelujah  ac- 
claim :  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  to  receive 
power  and  riches  and  wisdom  and  strength  and  honor 
and  glory  and  blessing."  "  For  there  is  joy  in  heaven 
over  one  sinner  that  repent  eth." 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US.  279 

Penitents  !  returning  wanderers  !  lift  your  eyes  to 
the  heavens.  Think  of  the  numbers  there  who  are 
thus  deeply  interested  in  you.  Look  up  with  the  eye 
of  a  realizing  faith  to  your  high  home.  Look  in  upon 
the  living  realities  of  the  world  of  glory.  Survey  the 
numberless  hosts  who  are  before  the  throne  of  God, 
and  who  are  even  now  rejoicing  over  your  conversion, 
and  over  your  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  grace. 
You  may  have  many  difficulties  to  encounter,  and 
many  cold  repulses  to  meet,  in  making  your  peace 
with  your  fellow-men,  whose  character  you  may  have 
vilified ;  whose  good  name,  in  the  days  of  your 
thoughtlessness,  sin,  and  malice,  you  may  have  tar- 
nished ;  whose  property  you  have  filched,  it  may  be, 
and  embezzled,  by  your  once  impenitent  hands.  You 
may  have  much  difficulty  in  restoring  to  those  you 
have  injured  that  which  you  robbed  them  of  in  the 
days  of  your  sinning ;  but  your  repentance  is  not 
evangelical  and  true,  without  reparation  made  to  those 
you  have  injured,  and  without  a  full  and  conscientious 
restitution  made  to  those  you  have  defrauded,  of  that 
which  you  have  unrighteously  taken  from  them. 
Zaccheus  restores  fourfold  ;  Paul  promised  to  repay  to 
Philemon  what  Onesimus,  who  had  nothing  to  give, 
had  taken  from  him  :   and  let  these  be  your  examples. 

You  may  have  the  scowlings  of  the  ungodly,  and 
the  well-founded  suspicions  of  the  children  of  God,  to 
bear,  in  your  return  to  a  life  of  repentance  and  faith 
and  new  obedience  :    but  take  courage ;    persevere. 


280  EVENTS   SHOWING 

Advance  unflinchingly  in  your  present  movement 
away  from  your  sin,  and  in  your  entire  and  complete 
return  into  the  covenant  and  into  the  bosom  of  your 
God.  You  are  guilty  :  but  look  up  ;  lift  your  eye  to 
the  throne  of  heaven.  Lo  !  you  see  up  yonder  Jesus, 
the  Lamb  of  God,  reigning  not  merely  in  glory,  but 
in  love  also,  and  in  the  sovereignty  of  his  grace ; 
and  your  comfort  under  a  sense  of  guilt  is,  that  his 
blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin.  You  are  polluted  ;  you 
feel  that  your  sin  has  not  only  made  you  guilty,  but 
that  it  has  also  made  you  impure,  in  the  sight  of  a 
pure  and  holy  God :  but  look  up  in  prayer  and  in 
supplication  ;  the  Spirit  of  holiness  is  proceeding  forth 
from  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb,  —  the  pure 
river  of  the  water  of  life.  He  is  the  living  water 
from  the  upper  sanctuary,  descending  to  wash  you 
and  cleanse  you,  and  to  give  you  a  meetness  to  become 
partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. 
You  are  homeless  pilgrims.  Here  you  have  no  con- 
tinuing city  and  no  abiding -place.  You  are  but 
strangers  upon  earth,  as  all  your  fathers  were ;  but 
look  up.  There  is  a  home  yonder,  already  prepared 
and  furnished  and  made  ready  for  you  :  it  is  the  home 
of  your  Father ;  it  is  the  home  into  which  Jesus  is 
about  to  receive  you,  that  you  may  dwell  in  his  pre- 
sence for  ever ;  it  is  the  house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens.  You  feel,  it  may  be,  poor 
and  neglected,  and  outcasts,  compared  with  others 
who  are  pampered  and  rich,  and  upon  whom,  in  their 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  281 

thoughtlessness  and  thanklessness,  God  is  showering 
down  the  bounties  of  his  providence  :  few,  it  may  be, 
feel  the  slightest  interest  in  you  upon  earth ;  but  it  is 
not  so  with  those  who  are  in  heaven,  if  ye  are  now 
feeling  that  godly  sorrow  that  worketh  repentance  not 
to  be  repented  of.  The  day  of  grace  is  dawning  upon 
your  path.  The  shadows  of  a  dark  and  dreary  and 
a  too-long  spiritual  night  are  for  ever  fleeing  away. 
Over  your  spiritual  birth,  your  repentance  through 
faith  in  Jesus,  your  transition  into  a  new  life,  there 
is,  yes,  there  is,  even  now,  a  glow  of  new  and  intense 
interest  circulating  among  all  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven.  God  your  Father,  God  your  Saviour,  God 
the  Holy  Spirit,  is  even  now  bending  over  you  in  love 
from  the  throne,  feels  the  deepest  interest  in  you,  and 
readiness  to  clasp  and  infold  you  in  the  embrace  of 
everlasting  love.  Angels  are  gladdened  that  you  are 
now  escaped  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  are  de- 
livered from  the  agonies  of  the  second  death,  and 
from  yon  fearful  hell  into  which  you  were  about  to 
plunge  for  ever.  M  Likewise  I  say  unto  you,  There 
is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth."  The  glorified  multitudes  of 
the  human  family  —  those  who  have  through  much 
tribulation  entered  the  kingdom  of  glory  ;  indeed,  all 
who  are  in  heaven  —  feel  deeply  in  your  fate,  and 
are  rejoicing  over  your  repentance,  and  return  to  God. 
"I  say  unto  you,  that  likewise  joy  shall  be  in  heaven 
over  one  sinner  that  repenteth." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

EVENTS    SHOWING   HEAVEN'S   INTEREST   IN   US, 
(continued.) 


A.RK  the  time  when  the  inmates  of  heaven 
feel  such  a  deep  solicitude  in  your  welfare. 
It  is  not  at  the  hour  of  jour  death,  when  the 
great  spiritual  conflict  of  a  life  of  grace  is  over,  and 
when  you  leave  the  battle-field  of  your  present  proba- 
tion more  than  conquerors.  It  is  not  when  you  are 
falling  asleep  in  Jesus,  and  when  your  redeemed  and 
completely  sanctified  and  already  glorified  soul  is 
rising  upwards  to  heaven,  encircled  by  your  escort  of 
attending  angels,  and  observed  by  those  on  high  with 
earnest  longings  for  you  to  come  on,  and  with  this 
question  upon  their  joyous  lips,  "  Who  is  this  that 
cometh  up  from  the  wilderness  leaning  upon  her  Be- 
loved?" It  is  not  when  you  have  just  nearly  finished 
your  journey  up  into  God's  glorious  heaven,  and  when 
you  are  in  the  act  of  entering  into  the  gates  of  the  city 
of  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  when  the  bright  assem- 
blages who  are  before  the  throne  have  just  got  their 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US.  283 

attention  first  fixed  upon  you  after  your  entrance,  and 
as  they  look  towards  you  drawing  nigh  to  join  then- 
ranks.  It  is  not  when  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  has  upon 
his  head  many  crowns,  leads  you  up  to  the  glowing, 
loving,  unveiled  presence  of  the  God  of  your  salvation, 
and  crowns  you  with  a  diadem  of  glory  never  to  fade, 
and  when  you  are  taking  your  place  among  the  wor- 
shippers in  heaven,  and  when  you  are  just  beginning 
to  join  for  the  first  time  in  the  anthem  that  rises  and 
resounds  through  heaven. 

On  the  contrary,  it  is  when  the  first  arrow  of  con- 
viction reaches  your  heart.  It  is  when  the  first  tear 
of  godly  sorrow  is  trickling  down  your  cheeks.  It  is 
when  the  first  penitential  prayer  is  yet  upon  your  trem- 
bling lips  ;  whilst  you  are,  like  the  Psalmist,  looking 
up  to  God,  and  are  giving  utterance  to  these  words  : 
"Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried  to  thee,  O  Lord  !" 
It  is  when  you  arise  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God 
Almighty,  and  are  taking  the  first  step  in  your  return 
to  a  state  of  grace,  and  to  covenant  peace  with  your 
Father  in  heaven.  It  is  when  the  recording  angel  is 
yet  in  the  act  of  writing  down  your  name  in  the 
Lamb's  book  of  life.  Then  it  is  that  a  new  thrill  of  joy 
rolls  through  the  heavens,  and  is  felt  and  is  shared  by 
all  who  are  dwelling  in  the  world  of  glory. 

Had    it  not  been  thus  expressly  and  distinctly  re 
vealed  in  the  Scriptures,  we  could  never  have  known 
that  any  event  occurring  upon   the   surface   of  this 
earth  was  positively  known  in  heaven,  or  could  awaken 


284  EVENTS  SHOWING 

solicitude  there,  or  could  spread  abroad,  far  and  wide 
among  the  hosts,  a  new  feeling  into  their  always 
happy  and  rejoicing  spirits. 

We  believe,  indeed,  in  the  existence  of  a  heaven  of 
glory  above  us,  with  Jesus  there  enthroned  in  mercy ; 
but  we  have  in  our  thoughts  removed  heaven  to  a 
mighty  distance.  Why  have  we  reasoned  ourselves 
into  this  state  and  belief  ?  The  answer  is  simple. 
The  realization  of  a  holy  heaven  that  is  quite  near  to  us 
would  give  us  pain,  just  as  the  presence  of  a  holy  man 
is  an  annoyance  to  one  who  is  ungodly  and  impure. 

Yes,  we  live  in  this  world  thoughtless  and  careless 
about  those  who  are  in  heaven ;  and  we  have  suc- 
ceeded, through  the  sad  and  unfortunate  possession  of 
an  unbelieving  and  of  an  undevotional  heart,  in  rea- 
soning ourselves  into  the  belief,  that  they  feel  just  as 
little  interest  in  us ;  upon  the  same  principle,  that, 
because  we  feel  but  little  love  in  our  hearts  to  God, 
we  are  apt,  most  improperly  and  illogically,  to  infer 
that  God  feels  just  as  little  love  to  us. 

This  assuredly  is  wrong.  You  see  an  illustration 
of  the  falsity  of  such  reasoning,  when  you  look  at 
what  is  taking  place  among  the  members  of  a  family 
upon  earth  :  and  be  it  remembered,  that  all  God's 
children,  both  up  and  below,  constitute  but  one  fami- 
ly ;  they  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus.  You  have,  perhaps, 
seen  a  young  man  leave  his  father's  home  in  the  coun- 
try, and  take  up  his  residence  in  the  crowded  city, 
either  in  the  prosecution  of  business  or  pleasure  or 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US.  285 

learning.  You  have  seen  him,  or  heard  of  him, 
meeting  there  ungodly  companions,  and  being  seduced 
by  them  from  the  paths  of  virtue  and  of  peace.  You 
have  at  last  seen  him,  who  was  once  so  attentive  to 
his  friends  and  so  affectionate  to  his  sisters  and  bro- 
thers, forgetting  the  father  who  once  watched  over  him 
with  affectionate  care ;  the  mother  who  nursed  him 
and  reared  him  so  tenderly  and  kindly ;  the  brothers 
and  the  sisters,  who  once,  in  all  the  joy  of  innocent 
mirth,  gambolled  with  him  through  the  rooms  of  the 
same  happy  and  loving  home.  The  prodigal  son  had 
to  come  to  himself  before  he  recalled  to  his  recollec- 
tion the  home  of  his  youth,  and  his  neglected  father 
who  still  lived  in  it,  with  all  the  glow  of  an  unquenched 
affection  in  his  bosom,  and  with  many  fond  recollec- 
tions in  his  memory  clustering  in  their  warmth  and 
freshness  around  his  absent  child.  But  tell  me,  my 
readers,  when  the  profligate  young  man  succeeds  in 
thus  banishing  from  his  thoughts  the  remembrance  of 
his  father  and  of  his  father's  home,  and  the  many  kind 
and  endearing  memories  connected  with  his  mother  and 
sisters  and  brothers,  who  are  still  dwelling  there, 
with  hearts  glowing  in  the  fire  of  the  old  affection,  do 
his  father  and  mother  and  sisters  and  brothers  also 
succeed  in  banishing  from  their  thoughts  all  remem- 
brance of  him  ?  Assuredly  no  !  The  prodigal  son 
had  to  awaken  to  a  sudden  recollection  of  his  loved 
and  loving  home,  from  which  he  was  distant  far,  in  the 
land  of  the  stranger,  and  in  the  hungry  wretchedness 


286  EVENTS  SHOWING 

of  his  misery,  before  he  arose,  and  began  his  journey 
homewards.  But  had  the  father  also  forgotten  him? 
"No  :  the  father  seems  to  have  been  out,  as  he  probably 
every  day  was,  looking  forth  in  the  direction  in  which 
his  still-remembered  son  had  gone  when  he  left,  long- 
ing, with  all  the  unutterable  yearnings  of  a  father's 
heart,  for  his  long-lost  but  still  fondly-loved  one's 
return ;  when,  lo  !  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  he  sees 
him  from  afar ;  and  in  a  moment,  as  his  son  emerges 
into  view,  all  the  feelings  and  kind  emotions  and 
past  remembrances  of  a  father  stream  through  his 
gladdened  heart.  "And  he  arose,  and  came  to  his  fa- 
ther ;  but,  when  he  was  yet  a  great  way  off,  his  father 
saw  him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on 
his  neck,  and  kissed  him." 

We  were  once,  as  a  race,  in  the  happy  position  of 
the  prodigal  son  before  he  left  his  father's  home.  We 
dwelt  in  Eden,  beneath  the  smile  of  our  Father  in 
heaven,  and  encircled  with  the  sunshine  of  his  favor 
and  love.  We  lived  in  love  with  heaven  then,  and 
walked  in  the  covenant  of  our  God.  The  earth  was 
glad  around  us,  our  heart  was  holy  and  happy  within 
us,  and  the  heavens  above  were  smiling  over  us. 
The  roses  of  Eden  clustered  around  us,  breathing 
forth  their  fragrancy  wherever  we  walked  in  the  glad- 
ness of  our  heart.  All  was  then  light  and  love,  both 
in  our  soul  and  in  the  creation  around  us ;  except  in 
the  place  of  woe,  where  fallen  angels  were  lying 
chained  and  burning. 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  287 

But,  in  an  evil  hour,  we  hearkened  to  the  voice  of 
the  tempter.  We  sinned.  We  went  out  from  Eden, 
as  the  prodigal  son  from  his  home  of  love.  We  went 
out  from  the  constant  and  holy  realization  of  God,  and 
from  habitually  holding  our  pristine  high  and  joyous 
communion  with  him.  Soon,  as  a  race,  we  sunk  into 
such  a  state  of  alienation  from  God,  that  these  words 
of  Scripture  give  us  but  too  true  a  description  of  our 
position  :  "Without  God,  without  Christ,  and  with- 
out hope  in  the  world." 

In  our  alienated  condition,  and  whilst  we  remain  in 
a  state  of  nature,  we  live  in  the  world  here  unmind- 
ful of  God,  and  in  a  state  of  the  most  profound 
thoughtlessness  and  carelessness  about  those  who  are 
in  our  Father's  home.  But  tell  me,  has  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, — have  the  living  and  glorious 
and  happy  and  loving  inmates  of  heaven,  also  forgotten 
us  ?  Let  the  great  work  of  our  redemption  tell.  Let 
the  love  of  the  everlasting  Father,  thinking  of  us 
in  the  high  councils  of  heaven,  making  his  covenant 
arrangements  for  our  deliverance,  and  freely  giving 
up  his  Son  for  our  salvation,  tell.  Let  the  coming 
of  Jesus  from  heaven  to  earth,  upon  the  great  mis- 
sion of  our  salvation,  tell.  Let  the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  from  the  Father  and  the  Son  into  the 
ruined  and  dilapidated  temple  of  our  soul,  to  build 
it  up  again  in  the  very  image  of  God,  and  to  make 
us  the  new  creation  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  tell. 
Let  the  visits  of  angels  to  this  world  of  ours,   in 


288  EVENTS   SHOWING 

every  age  of  its  history,  tell ;  for  they  are  all  minis- 
tering spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  to  them  who  shall 
be  heirs  of  salvation.  Let  the  visit  of  Moses  and 
Elias  from  heaven,  to  meet  with  Jesus  on  the  mount 
of  transfiguration,  and  to  talk  to  him  there  about  his 
decease,  tell.  Let  the  deep  thrill  of  interest  and  of 
holy  joy  that  rises  to  heaven,  and  the  kindling  glow 
of  a  generous  sympathy  that  spreads  far  and  wide 
among  its  rejoicing  inhabitants,  over  every  sinner's 
repentance,  tell. 

These  things  plainly  and  distinctly  bear  evidence, 
there  is  a  voice  that  comes  out  from  them,  and  which 
audibly  announces  to  us  this  great  truth,  —  that 
although  we,  in  the  midst  of  our  sin  and  alienation 
and  spiritual  darkness  and  earthly-mindedness,  have 
forgotten  God,  and  all  the  exalted  and  holy  and  happy 
inmates  of  a  high  and  glorious  eternity,  yet  they 
have  never,  no,  never,  for  one  moment,  forgotten  us ; 
and  so  deeply  interested  are  they  in  us,  in  our 
repentance,  our  conversion,  our  return  to  God, 
that  the  sound  of  our  returning  footsteps,  and  the 
heaving  sigh  of  our  broken  heart,  sends  upwards 
a  new  thrill  of  joy  into  the  bosoms  of  all  who 
are  in  heaven. 

We  are  not  informed  by  Jesus  of  the  way  or  mode 
in  which  those  who  are  in  heaven  gain  a  knowledge 
of  our  repentance  at  the  very  moment  in  which  it  is 
taking  place  ;  nor  would  it  be  right  in  us  dogmatically 
to  assert  the  precise  mode. 


II EA FEN'S  INTEREST   IN   US.  289 

This  may  be  done  in  three  different  ways:  First, 
He  who  is  upon  the  throne  —  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Spirit  —  may  announce  our  repentance  the  moment* 
it  occurs  to  those  who  are  before  the  throne,  in  the 
same  way  that  a  sovereign,  in  his  palace  upon  earth, 
makes  known  to  his  courtiers  any  important  event 
that  has  taken  place  in  his  dominions,  the  tidings  of 
which  have  just  reached  him ;  or  in  the  same  way 
in  which  a  loving  father,  who  is  at  the  head  of  a 
family,  communicates  orally  some  remarkable  occur- 
rence to  the  children  of  his  affection,  and  to  the  rest 
of  the  inmates  who  compose  his  domestic  circle,  — 
such  a  communication  being  the  spontaneous  act  of 
his  love.  Second,  The  inmates  of  heaven,  for  any 
thing  we  can  tell,  may  see  us,  as  they  look  upon  us 
out  of  heaven :  thus  the  view  of  our  appearance, 
the  tears  streaming  from  our  eyes,  and  our  counte- 
nances bedimmed  with  sorrow,  may  be  the  means  of 
giving  them  the  knowledge  of  our  repentance  ;  in  the 
same  way  that  our  friends  upon  earth  come  to  know 
our  repentance  by  marking  our  throes  and  ejacula- 
tions, and  entire  change  in  our  conduct  of  life. 
Third,  Angels  ascending  from  earth  may  announce 
our  repentance  to  the  inmates  of  heaven,  when  they 
rise  from  our  homes,  where  we  are  prostrated  before 
God  in  the  tears  and  sorrow  of  evangelical  repent- 
ance, and  repair  to  heaven. 

We  have  reason  to  believe,  that  what  Jacob  wit- 
nessed in  his  dream  at  Bethel  is  constantly  taking 

13 


290  EVENTS   SHOWING 

place  throughout  the  earth.  The  ladder  of  Christ's 
mediation  rests  upon  the  earth,  whilst  its  top  is  reach- 
ing the  skies ;  the  angels  of  God  are  ascending  and 
descending  upon  it,  —  the  celestial  aides-de-camp  that 
are  carrying  on  a  constant  communication  betwixt 
Christ,  the  Captain  of  salvation,  and  believers,  who 
are  engaged  in  conflict  with  principalities  and  powers, 
and  the  ruler  of  the  darkness,  upon  the  battle-field 
of  this  lower  earth. 

In  every  case  of  repentance,  Satan  suffers  a  defeat, 
and  Christ  gains  a  victory.  When  the  tide  of  battle 
thus  runs  in  favor  of  the  Cross,  and  when  the  stan- 
dard of  the  gospel  is  unfurled,  and  is  spread  over  the 
citadel  of  another  conquered  heart,  angels  rejoice, 
and  watch  the  issue  of  the  conflict  that  is  going  on 
betwixt  the  followers  of  the  Lamb  and  the  slaves  of 
Satan ;  and  it  may  be,  whenever  we  are  brought  to 
feel  before  God  that  godly  sorrow  for  sin  that  worketh 
repentance  not  to  be  repented  of,  one  of  these  angelic 
messengers  who  has  been  watching  over  us  feels  a 
new  emotion,  yea,  a  sudden  gush  of  uncontrollable 
joy,  and,  unable  to  restrain  himself,  spreads  out  at 
once  the  wings  of  an  exultant  jubilation,  rises,  leaves 
us  in  our  tears,  ascends  upwards,  and  still  upwards, 
till  he  reaches  the  world  of  glory,  enters  heaven,  and 
at  once  announces  our  name,  in  the  hearing  of  all 
who  are  there,  as  now  a  true  penitent,  —  a  child  of 
God.  It  is  this  intelligence  from  earth  that  awakens 
a  new  joy  in  heaven  because  another  child  is  born 


HEAVEN'S   INTEREST  IN   US.  291 

into  God's  great  spiritual  family ;  another  wanderer 
is  arrested  in  his  path  of  alienation  and  sin,  and  his 
returning  footsteps  are  already  directed  towards  the 
opened  door  of  his  Father's  home  ;  another  captive  is 
snatched  for  eternity  from  the  hand  of  the  spoiler ; 
another  gem  is  placed  by  the  hand  of  eternal  love  in 
Christ's  mediatorial  crown,  to  shine  there  for  ever ; 
another  perishing  immortal  is  saved.  Yes,  over  this 
event  a  new  tide  of  joy  rolls  with  its  crystal  waters 
of  exultation  over  the  gladdened  population  of  the 
skies  ;  a  new  harp  is  struck ;  a  new  worshipper  joins 
the  praising  myriads  ;  a  new  chorus  rises  in  the 
temple  of  glory ;  a  louder  anthem  of  praise  ascends 
in  its  roll  of  symphony  before  the  throne  of  God. 

I  now  address  myself  to  you  who  may  read  these 
views.  I  ask,  Is  Jesus  upon  the  mediatorial  throne, 
high  and  lifted  up,  having  all  power  in  heaven  and 
upon  earth?  Is  he  sending  the  rod  of  his  strength 
out  of  Zion  ?  and  has  it  struck  the  flinty  rock  of  your 
heart,  so  that  the  waters  of  contrition  are  flowing 
forth  ?  Is  Jesus  now  riding  forth  in  the  chariot  of 
the  everlasting  gospel,  conquering  and  to  conquer? 
Has  he  girded  his  sword  upon  his  thigh  in  his  glory 
and  majesty  ?  and  have  his  arrows  pierced  your  pre- 
viously hard  and  stony  heart,  doing  thereto  what  the 
rod  of  Moses  did  to  the  rock  of  Horeb, — turning 
the  rock  into  a  standing  water,  and  the  flint  into  a 
fountain  of  waters  ?  Has  the  Holy  Spirit  descended 
from  the  eternal  Father,  and  from  the  glorified  Son 


292  EVENTS  SHOWING 

of  his  love,  upon  the  mission  of  your  personal  salva- 
tion, and,  in  his  living  and  quickening  operations  of 
grace,  entered  into  the  chamber  of  your  heart?  Has 
he  just  commenced  the  work  of  conversion  there,  of 
regeneration,  of  the  new  birth,  working  within  you 
the  good  pleasure  of  God's  goodness,  and  the  work 
of  faith  with  power ;  the  commencement  of  a  great 
spiritual  transition  from  a  state  of  death  into  a  state 
of  life ;  the  beginning  of  a  passage  out  of  a  state  of 
darkness  into  the  marvellous  light  of  the  glorious 
gospel  of  the  grace  of  God?  Is  the  morning  of  a 
spiritual  day  just  beginning  to  dawn  upon  your  be- 
nighted soul?  Is  the  day-star  of  eternal  promise, 
with  its  orient  twinkling,  just  emerging  into  view, 
and  flinging  its  bright  radiancy  around  you?  Are 
you  now,  in  short,  before  God,  and  beneath  the 
glance  of  his  pitying  eye,  a  sincere  penitent  ? 

You  may,  in  these  circumstances,  as  I  have  said, 
be  neglected  and  uncared  for  by  the  men  of  the  world. 
The  votaries  of  pleasure,  in  the  midst  of  their  music 
and  dancing,  may  turn  away  from  you,  and  may  have 
no  pitying  look  to  bestow  upon  you.  Your  present 
state  and  spiritual  transition,  however,  let  me  remind 
you,  is  not  unnoticed,  and  is  not  unobserved.  Nor  is 
this  joy  over  you  confined  to  earth :  soon  it  is  to  be 
known  and  proclaimed  in  the  high  court  of  the  Lord. 

The  cry,  "A  reprieve  !"  sends  a  deep  and  throbbing 
sensation  among  the  assembled  crowds  who  surround, 
in  breathless  anxiety  and  perturbation,  the  scaffold, 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US.  293 

upon  which  is  already  standing  the  poor  condemned 
criminal,  pinioned,  agitated,  trembling,  and  pale, 
when,  just  at  the  right  moment,  that  reprieve  comes 
down  from  the  throne,  and  is  borne  and  is  held  up  — 
that  the  executioner  may  stay  —  in  the  hand  of  yonder 
approaching  furious  rider,  whose  galloping  steed,  with 
its  nostrils  distended  and  its  sides  panting,  is  all  white 
over  with  foam.  The  cry,  "  Victory  ! "  lifted  by  the 
coursing  aide-de-camp  on  the  field  of  battle,  raises  a 
shout  of  joy  from  the  hearts  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
victorious  army ;  and  the  sound  follows  that  flying 
messenger  as  he  gallops  along  the  fatigued  but  brave 
and  still  undaunted  ranks,  making  known  to  all  the 
victory  is  won.  The  cry,  "A  penitent,  a  penitent !  " 
announced  by  the  ascending  angel,  who  has  just  left 
you  in  your  tears,  entering,  even  now  at  this  very 
moment,  into  heaven,  agitates  the  whole  inmates  of 
glory,  even  as  a  breeze,  suddenly  springing  up  on  a 
calm,  peaceful  summer  afternoon,  sweeps  with  its 
rushing  surges  over  the  forest,  and  moves  the  leaves 
wherever  it  passes,  or  descends  upon  the  surface  of 
the  lake,  and  causes  the  eddying  ripples  to  circulate 
over  the  bosom  of  its  previously  silent  and  sleeping 
waters  ;  and,  wherever  that  cry  runs,  the  whole  popu- 
lation on  high  is  moved ;  the  song  that  rises  from 
heaven's  congregated  assemblies  becomes  louder  in  its 
swellings,  as  it  rises  in  one  loud,  sweet  roll  of  com- 
mingled melody  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  pour  forth  their  seraph- voices. 


294  HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US. 

loud  as  the  noise  of  many  waters,  and  deep  as  the 
rumbling  roll  of  mighty  thunderings,  saying,  "Alle- 
luia, Alleluia  !  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth  !  " 
Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honor  to  Him ; 
for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  another 
and  another  spiritual  bride  upon  earth  is  making  her- 
self ready  :  "for  there  is  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner 
that  repenteth." 


CHAPTER  Yin. 

EVENTS   SHOWING  HEAVEN'S   INTEREST  IN   US, 
(continued.*) 


ARK  the  universality  of  this  joy  in  heaven 
over  your  repentance.  "What  man  of  you, 
having  an  hundred  sheep,  if  he  lose  one  of 
them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  go  after  that  which  is  lost,  until  he  find 
it?  And,  when  he  hath  found  it,  he  layeth  it  on  his 
shoulders,  rejoicing.  And,  when  he  cometh  home,  he 
calleth  together  his  friends  and  neighbors,  saying  unto 
them,  Rejoice  with  me;  for  I  have  found  my  sheep 
which  was  lost.  I  say  unto  you,  that  likewise  joy 
shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth, 
more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  persons,  which 
need  no  repentance."  All  who  are  in  the  shepherd's 
house,  together  with  the  friends  and  the  neighbors 
who  assemble  there,  mutually  share  in  the  joy  that  is 
felt  when  the  previously  wandered  sheep  is  brought 
back  to  the  fold. 

[295] 


296  EVENTS   SHOWING 

There  is  the  same  universality  of  joy  among  those 
who  are  in  the  woman's  house,  when,  after  a  diligent 
search,  she  recovers  her  lost  piece  of  money ;  and 
which  is  graphically  illustrated  in  the  following  para- 
ble :  "  Either  what  woman,  having  ten  pieces  of 
silver,  if  she  lose  one  piece,  doth  not  light  a  candle, 
and  sweep  the  house,  and  seek  diligently  till  she  find 
it?  And,  when  she  hath  found  it,  she  calleth  her 
friends  and  neighbors  together,  saying,  Eejoice  with 
me ;  for  I  have  found  the  piece  which  I  had  lost. 
Likewise  I  say  unto  you,  there  is  joy  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth." 

The  same  universality  of  joy  among  all  who  are  in 
the  home  is  illustrated  and  taught  us  in  the  parable 
of  the  prodigal  son  ;  who,  rising  up  from  the  lap  of 
sinful  indulgences  in  the  land  of  the  stranger,  returns 
to  his  home,  and  is  received  by  his  father  with  kisses 
of  joy.  Nor  does  the  father  alone  rejoice  over  his 
son's  return.  No  :  through  these  words  of  inspira- 
tion, look  in,  and  see  what  is  passing  in  that  home 
over  the  return  of  that  young  man,  who  is  shaking 
hands  with  all  who  are  around,  and  who  is  now 
arrayed  with  the  best  robe,  with  a  ring  on  his  hand, 
and  with  shoes  on  his  feet.  "And  the  son  said  unto 
him,  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  Heaven,  and  in 
thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy 
son.  But  the  father  said  to  his  servants,  Bring  forth 
the  best  robe,  and  put  it  on  him ;    and  put  a  ring  on 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US. 

his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet ;  and  bring  hither  the 
fatted  calf,  and  kill  it,  and  let  us  eat,  and  he.  merry : 
for  this  my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again ;  he  was 
lost,  and  is  found.     And  they  began  to  be  merry." 

If,  then,  heaven  is  a  home,  and  there  is  now  a 
great  family  in  it,  surely,  upon  all  the  principles  of 
fair  and  analogical  as  well  as  logical  reasoning,  I  am 
entitled  to  infer  that  the  same  sympathy,  that  the 
same  communication  and  interchange  of  thoughts  and 
feelings,  that  pass  and  repass  and  circulate  among 
the  members  of  an  affectionate  family  upon  earth,  are 
existing  and  circulating  and  reciprocating  among  all 
the  members  of  God's  great  family  above.  Angels 
constitute  merely  a  part  of  that  family  :  they  are  one, 
through  Jesus,  with  the  glorified  who  are  there.  All 
who  are  in  heaven  constitute  but  one  family,  living  in 
love  in  the  same  home :  thus  whatever  is  the  cause  of 
awakening  a  new  or  a  higher  tide  of  joy  in  the  bosoms 
of  a  portion  of  that  family  will  be  shared  in  and  felt 
by  all  who  are  continually  rejoicing  in  the  presence  of 
God  above. 

If  this,  then,  be  true,  —  and  that  it  is,  analogy 
asserts,  and  the  Scriptures  do  not  deny,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  most  unequivocally  and  distinctly  confirm, — 
if  you  are  even  now  a  convicted  and  converted  peni- 
tent, and  a  humble  suppliant  at  a  throne  of  grace,  the 
joy  that  is  felt  in  heaven  over  your  repentance,  is  not 
confined  to  one  portion  merely  of  heaven's  exulting 
inhabitants  :    it  will  run  and  stream  from  bosom  to 

13* 


298  EVENTS   SHOWING 

bosom,  from  rank  to  rank,  and  from  one  congregated 
mass  to  another,  till  it  reaches  the  outskirts  of  Imma- 
nuel's  land. 

There  are  some,  it  maybe,  now  in  heaven,  who  were 
nearly  and  most  affectionately  related  to  you  whilst 
they  yet  remained  with  you  upon  the  earth ;  and  in 
Christ  Jesus,  your  and  their  new  Covenant-Head,  they 
are  nearly  related  to  you  still.  Let  me  give  one  ex- 
ample, for  the  sake  of  its  universality  and  influence. 
Had  you  a  dear,  dear,  fond  mother  once,  who  first 
learned  your  infant  lips  to  pray  to  your  Father  who  is 
in  heaven  ?  Did  you  often  and  often  bow  the  knee,  in 
the  joyousness  and  gladsomeness  of  youth,  beside  her 
in  prayer?  and,  in  the  lisping  accents  of  childhood, 
did  you  ask  from  God  the  new  heart  which  he  alone 
can  bestow  ?  Can  you  look  back  through  the  bright 
vista  of  memory  upon  the  time,  as  upon  a  vision  of 
devotion  commingled  with  love,  when  you  saw  her 
oft  and  oft  upon  her  knees,  in  secret  prayer,  at  the 
footstool  of  God's  throne  of  grace  ?  Did  you  hear  her 
pray,  not  for  herself  alone,  but  for  you,  whose  name 
she  sent  up  in  earnest  supplication  to  her  heavenly 
Father  ?  Did  she  ask  the  God  of  salvation  to  bless 
you,  her  then  hope  and  delight,  whilst  you  wondered 
to  whom  your  mother  was  addressing  herself?  for  you 
saw  no  one  in  the  room  besides  yourself,  and  she  was 
not  speaking  to  you,  but  about  you.  Did  you  grow 
up,  and  come  to  mature  years,  and  live  thoughtless 
about  your  mother's  pious  and  heavenly  instructions 


HEAVEN'S   INTEREST  IN   US.  299 

and  holy  example  ?  Did  your  dear  mother  die  whilst 
ye  were  yet  in  your  alienation  from  God  ?  Did  you 
visit  her  upon  her  death-bed  ?  Do  you  remember  the 
impressive  sight  you  witnessed,  as  you  entered  into 
her  death-chamber,  —  her  pale  and  haggard  counte- 
nance ;  her  sickly,  failing  eye,  with  which  she  looked 
out  upon  you  from  her  dying  pillow,  as  if  from  the 
very  confines  of  the  eternal  world  ?  You  cannot  but 
remember  how  thin  and  how  pale  her  hand  was  with 
which  she  pressed  yours,  when  she  bade  you  a  sor- 
rowful adieu  ;  nor  how  agonizingly  anxious  that  look 
was  with  which  she  gazed  into  your  face,  and  charged 
vou,  in  the  name  of  the  great  God,  no  longer  to 
trifle  with  your  soul  and  with  the  things  that  belong 
to  your  peace,  but,  as  in  the  view,  and  already  near 
the  verge,  of  an  approaching  eternity,  to  wrestle  with 
God  day  and  night  for  the  salvation  of  your  soul,  and 
to  seek  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  for  the  pardon  of 
your  sins.  Did  you  see  your  dear  and  beloved  mother 
die,  and  go  the  way  of  all  the  earth? —  attend,  with 
others,  her  funeral?  Did  you  encircle  her  newly 
opened  grave?  Did  you  let  down  the  coffin,  the  lid 
of  which  hid  from  your  view  her  changed  countenance, 
into  the  cold  and  narrow  bed  of  death  ;  see  the  grave 
filled  up  ;  bow  to  the  mourning  and  sympathizing 
attendants,  who  had  met  with  you  to  perform  the 
last  sad  office  of  friendship  to  the  sleeping  dead? 
You  left  your  mother  there  in  her  sleep.  Oh,  deep 
is  the  sleep  of  the  dead  !     Dreamless  is  their  still  and 


300  EVENTS   SHOWING 

unbroken  repose  !  Low  is  their  bed  of  dust !  Cold 
is  their  pillow  !  Did  you,  for  a  season,  after  her 
death  and  funeral,  forget  your  mother's  dying  exhorta- 
tion ;  the  heaven  into  which  she  had  ascended  as  her 
eternal  home ;  the  God  whom  she  was  praising,  and 
in  whose  presence  she  was  singing  the  song  of  salva- 
tion, and  enjoying  the  beatific  vision?  —  forget  Jesus, 
whose  face  she  was  looking  upon  amid  the  light  of  a 
glorious  eternity?  and  did  you  live  in  the  world  as  if 
you  were  never  to  die  ? 

Is  it  different  with  you  now  ?  Has  God  awakened 
you  and  brought  you  to  yourself  by  the  afflictive  dis- 
pensations of  his  providence,  by  the  preaching  of  his 
Word,  or  by  the  vision  of  your  mother  in  the  dreams 
of  the  night?  Whilst  in  your  dreams,  did  the  vision 
of  your  mother,  all  love  and  all  smiles,  kneeling  at  a 
throne  of  grace  as  of  yore,  and  praying  for  you,  pass 
before  your  gazing  and  restless  eye  ?  Did  that  vision 
cause  the  young  and  comparatively  holy  and  hallowed 
recollections  of  the  past  to  rush  in  upon  your  soul 
with  a  startling  gush  of  reproach  and  shame?  Did 
God's  Spirit  descend  upon  you  through  that  vision, 
and  awaken  you  to  the  light  and  the  gladness  of  a 
new  spiritual  day  ?  Is  the  resurrection  of  your  risen 
Redeemer  the  symbol  of  the  spiritual  rising  from 
the  dead  which  you  are  now  undergoing  through  the 
quickening  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  your 
soul  ?  Are  you  rising  with  Jesus  to  newness  of  life  ? 
Are  you  now,  in  one  word,  a  penitent  ? 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  301 

Certain  thus  as  it  is  that  your  now  departed  mother 
felt  a  deep,  an  agonizing  interest  in  your  salvation, 
whilst  she  yet  remained  with  you,  let  me  now  ask, 
Has  she  ceased,  now  that  she  is  in  your  Father's  home, 
to  remember  you,  to  long  for  your  salvation,  or  to 
feel  any  interest  in  your  spiritual  welfare  and  in  your 
eternal  destiny  ?  Oh,  no  !  She  has  an  interest  in  you 
still,  and  she  has  upon  her  redeemed  soul  a  full  re- 
membrance of  you  as  she  stands  before  the  throne  of 
God ;  and  assuredly  Christ  has  an  interest  in  your 
present  repentance  as  well. 

I  might  take  another  example  also,  for  the  sake  of 
its  universality,  and  power  over  the  heart.  Had  you 
once  a  beloved  father,  who  entered  for  you  into  cove- 
nant with  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  when  you 
were  given  up  to  God  in  the  ordinance  of  Christian 
baptism  ?  Did  he  walk  himself  with  Jesus  in  faith 
and  in  love,  and  in  the  covenant  of  his  God?  Do 
you  remember  the  time  when  he  first  took  you  up, 
leading  you  by  the  hand  to  God's  house  of  prayer ; 
when  you  sat  beside  him  in  your  family-pew,  and 
looked  with  the  commingled  feelings  of  wonder  and 
of  awe  to  the  man  of  God  in  the  pulpit ;  and  when 
you,  for  the  first  time,  listened  to  the  minister  address- 
ing you,  and  the  congregation  around  you,  about 
something  which  you  felt  was  undoubtedly  of  great 
importance?  for  he  looked  so  serious,  and  spoke  so 
earnestly,  and  the  people  appeared  so  attentive ;  but 
you  did  not  understand  what  he  was  speaking  about. 


302  EVENTS  SHOWING 

Do  you  remember  also  the  time  when  your  father,  as 
the  high  priest  of  your  little  family  circle,  morning 
and  evening,  led  your  devotions,  and  prayed  with  all 
the  unction  of  a  holy  fervor  for  your  salvation,  and 
how  humbly,  how  holily,  and  how  devoutly  he  walked 
with  God? 

These  holy  scenes  of  your  youth  now  appear  to  you 
like  far-off  visions  of  happiness,  and  of  heavenly  joys 
that  are  gilding  the  retrospected  horizon  of  the  past. 
Your  father  died  whilst  you  were  yet  young.  Did 
you  grow  up  a  giddy  and  thoughtless  and  ungodly 
young  man?  Were  you  to-day,  the  sabbath  of  the 
Lord,  in  God's  house  of  prayer?  Did  you  feel  an 
unusual  interest  in  the  exercises  of  the  sanctuary, 
whilst  the  man  of  God  brought  before  you,  and  de- 
scribed so  vividly  and  alarmingly,  the  case  of  your 
alienation  from  God,  and  God's  desire,  notwithstand- 
ing, that  you  should  be  saved? — God  upon  a  throne 
of  mercy,  still  waiting  to  be  gracious  ;  Jesus,  a  mighty 
Saviour,  able  and  willing  to  save  you ;  the  Holy 
Spirit  striving  with  your  conscience  to  lead  you  to  flee 
from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  to  close  with  Jesus  in 
covenant  through  faith ;  the  day  of  grace  fast  pass- 
ing away ;  eternity,  an  awful  eternity,  already  near, 
lowering  over  you,  and  opening  its  bosom  to  your 
view,  full  of  blackness  and  of  tempest  and  of  fire? 
No  time  to  lose  !  Whilst  Christ's  ambassador  was 
to-day  proclaiming  the  gospel  of  his  grace,  did  you 
feel  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  verily  present  with 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  303 

you,  carrying  home  the  word  preached  to  your  heart 
with  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  with  power? 
Did  you  quake  and  bow  before  God,  like  the  willow 
before  the  passing  wind,  and  put  the  question,  "  What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved? "  In  your  chamber,  all  alone, 
after  your  return  from  church,  the  world  shut  out, 
and  you  shut  in  with  God,  do  you  feel  an  awfulness 
of  solemnity,  a  deep- and  terrible  silence,  as  if  Nature 
were  hushed  by  some  great  voice  speaking  out  of  eter- 
nity, and  were  in  the  act  of  listening?  and  are  you 
led  to  listen,  as  if  with  suppressed  breathing,  for  the 
occurrence  of  something  that  is  to  startle  the  nations, 
for  the  bursting-forth  of  Jesus  from  heaven  into  your 
view  in  all  the  glories  of  his  fully  manifested  presence, 
for  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  for  the  judgment 
of  the  world  ?  Are  you  now  constrained  to  pour  out 
your  earnest  desires  before  God  in  prayer  ?  Are  you 
opening  the  door  of  your  heart  for  the  entrance  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  to  create  you  anew,  and  to 
awaken  within  you  that  godly  sorrow  that  worketh 
repentance  not  to  be  repented  of?  Is  this  your 
prayer? — "Come  from  the  four  winds,  O  breath  !  and 
breathe  upon  me."  "Awake,  O  north  wind  !  and 
come  thou  south ;  blow  upon  my  garden,  that  the 
spices  thereof  may  flow  out.  Let  my  beloved  come 
into  his  garden,   and  eat  his  pleasant  fruits." 

Under  the  Spirit-breathing  influences  from  a  risen 
Saviour,  are  ye  now  born  from  above?  Have  ye 
become  spiritually  alive?  —  truly  now,  and  sincerely, 


304  EVENTS  SHOWING 

a  penitent  in  the  presence  of  God  ?  Oh  !  there  niay 
be  a  tide  at  this  moment  of  bitter  and  harrowing  sor- 
row for  sin  circulating  through  your  bosom  ;  but  over 
you,  and  above  you,  and  towards  YOU,  there  is  joy  in 
heaven. 

Your  guardian  angel  has  witnessed  the  tear  of  your 
penitential  sorrow  ;  has  had  his  attention  arrested  by 
the  long,  deep-drawn  sigh  which  is  heaved  by  the 
throbbing  heart ;  has  seen  you  upon  your  knees  ;  and 
has  witnessed  the  earnestness  and  the  fervor  of  your 
supplications  at  a  throne  of  grace. 

What  has  this  view  of  you  led  him  to  do?  He 
has  already  ascended ;  he  has  risen  up,  from  your  side 
and  from  your  room,  with  a  holy  alacrity,  upon  the 
wings  of  exultation  and  delight ;  he  has  even  now,  it 
may  be,  just  entered  his  native  skies,  his  bosom  heav- 
ing and  tremulous  with  the  glad  tidings  which  he 
bears  up  from  your  chamber,  and  which  he  is  about 
to  announce  to  all  who  are  in  heaven.  Yes,  up  yon- 
der, in  the  world  of  glory,  in  yon  home  where  the 
bright  and  the  blest  are  spending  a  happy  eternity, 
and  in  which  your  already  glorified  father  dwells, 
when  the  ascending  angel  enters  and  announces  your 
name,  and  proclaims  in  the  hearing  of  all  heaven's 
listening  hosts  that  you  are  now  a  penitent,  he  will 
exult. 

And  so  we  might  extend  those  examples  to  cases 
not  of  such  universal  application,  but  with  scarcely 
less  influence.     Have  you  a  sister  now  in  heaven,  who 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  305 

once  walked  with  you  in  the  ways  of  God  upon  earth  ? 
or  a  brother  now  there,  with  whom  you  once  took 
sweet  counsel,  and  went  up  to  the  house  of  God  in 
company?  Have  you  a  son  now  there,  who  remem- 
bered his  Creator  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  and  who 
once  longed,  with  all  the  unquenched  and  unextin- 
guishable  fervor  of  a  young  convert,  that  you  should 
turn  your  face  towards  Zion,  and  begin  without  delay 
to  accompany  him  in  his  journey  to  heaven,  and 
advance  side  by  side  with  him  in  the  divine  life  ?  Or 
have  you  now  a  daughter  up  yonder,  who  once  gave 
to  you,  and  to  those  around  you,  a  lovely  specimen 
of  sweet  and  heavenly  piety  whilst  she  yet  remained 
with  you  ?  Have  these,  who  once  walked  with  you  in 
the  covenant  of  your  God,  and  who  dwelt  with  you 
once  in  the  same  home  of  love  here,  fallen  asleep  in 
Jesus  ?  Have  they  left  you  in  your  bereavement  ?  and 
has  this  world,  by  their  departure,  become  to  you  a 
vale  of  tears  ?  Are  they  now  the  inmates  of  heaven  ? 
and  are  they  become,  through  grace,  the  happy  mem- 
bers of  your  heavenly  Father's  great  and  glorious 
family  ?  They  had  a  deep  interest  in  your  salvation 
whilst  they  remained  with  you.  Have  they  lost  that 
interest  now  ?  Have  they  become  in  heaven  so  selfish 
and  so  careless  about  your  salvation,  that  the  tidings 
of  your  spiritual  deliverance  produce  no  emotion  in 
their  bosoms,  even  whilst  the  whole  population  of 
heaven  are  rejoicing  over  your  repentance  ?  It  can- 
not be  \ 


306  EVENTS   SHOWING 

Finally,  did  you  promise  one  or  all  of  these,  when 
you  stood  beside  them  in  their  death-chamber,  and 
when  you  looked  upon  them  breathing  heavily  upon 
their  bed  of  dissolution,  that  you  would  no  longer  turn 
your  back  upon  God,  and  trifle  with  your  immortal 
interests,  but  that  you  would  begin  in  real  earnestness 
to  live  for  Jehovah,  and  to  spend  your  day  of  grace 
in  seeking  from  God  the  salvation  of  your  soul  ? 

Surely  you  have  not  forgotten  that  promise,  or 
failed  to  fulfil  it  ?  Oh  !  I  earnestly  entreat  you,  I 
beseech  you  by  the  mercy  of  God,  by  the  grace  of 
Jesus,  by  the  compassion  and  love  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
by  the  terrors  and  by  the  agonies  of  hell,  by  the 
glories  and  by  the  joys  of  heaven,  and  by  the  in- 
terest which  you  still  have  in  these  departed  friends 
of  yours  who  are  now  in  heaven,  remember  your 
promise  which  you  made  to  them  before  they  left  you. 
Remember  it  so  as  to  act  upon  it  even  now  !  Arise 
in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God  Almighty  !  Eeturn 
to  your  Father  !  Close  with  Him  who  is  ready  and 
willing  to  receive  you  into  covenant  with  himself! 
Shake  off  at  once  and  for  ever  the  lethargies  of  your 
spiritual  slumber  ! 

Do  this  ;  and  I  tell  you,  that  your  return  to  God, 
the  closing  of  your  soul  with  Jesus  by  an  act  of 
appropriating  faith,  and  by  the  transiticm  of  true 
repentance,  will,  even  this  very  moment,  send  upwards 
a  new  thrill  of  joy  into  the  bosoms  of  your  departed 
friends,  as  well  as  into  the  bosoms  of  all  who  are  in 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN    US.  307 

heaven  ;  and  the  song  of  your  spiritual  espousals  will 
now,  even  now,  be  sung,  not  only  by  your  dear  de- 
parted friends  who  have  entered  heaven  before  you, 
but  by  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  as  they  ex- 
ultingly  exclaim,  "  Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and 
give  honor  to  Him ;  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb 
is  come,  and  another  and  another  spiritual  bride  is 
making  herself  ready."  Yes,  reader,  they  are  all 
ready  to  lift  a  special  song  of  thanksgiving  to  God 
over  thy  repentance.  "  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say, 
Come  ;  and  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come  ;  and  let 
him  that  is  athirst  come  ;  and  whosoever  will,  let  him 
take  the  water  of  life  freely." 

Heavenly-mindedness  is  one  feature  in  the  spiritual 
image  of  every  believer.  "  Our  conversation  is  in 
heaven ;  from  whence  also  we  look  for  the  Saviour, 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  "If  ye,  then,  be  risen  with 
Christ,  seek  those  things  which  are  above,  where 
Christ  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God."  w  Set  your 
affection  on  things  above."  "  But  God,  who  is  rich 
in  mercy,  for  his  great  love  wherewith  he  loved  us, 
even  when  we  were  dead  in  sins,  hath  quickened  us 
together  with  Christ  (by  grace  ye  are  saved),  and 
hath  raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit  together 
in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus." 

I  am  in  the  hope,  that  the  views  I  have  given  in  the 
preceding  treatise  may,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  lead 
Christians,   by  a  prayerful  perusal  of  them,  to  lift 


308  EVENTS   SHOWING 

their  thoughts  to  heavenly  things,  and  to  converse  about 
the  home  which  Jesus  is  preparing  for  them  in  the 
skies,  and  in  which  they  are  to  meet  and  spend  their 
eternity  with  the  members  of  God's  family  who  are 
there,  in  all  the  cordiality  and  in  all  the  endearments 
of  love  and  of  friendship. 

Again  :  I  trust  that  I  have  succeeded  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  my  readers  in  establishing  the  doctrine  of  the 
recognition  of  friends  in  heaven  as  one  of  the  undoubted 
verities  of  the  Christian  faith.  I  have  viewed  this  doc- 
trine of  future  recognition,  no t^ merely  as  a  problem  of 
abstract  theological  speculation,  but  as  a  question,  that, 
if  believed  and  entertained,  will  have  a  great  practical 
influence  upon  the  hearts  and  lives  of  all  men.  The 
belief  that  we  are  to  recognize  our  friends  in  heaven, 
and  associate  with  them  for  ever  there,  with  the  full 
remembrance  of  the  past,  throws  the  whole  sublimity 
of  eternity  over  our  present  relationships  and  friend- 
ships, and  also  over  our  Christian  efforts  to  establish 
each  other  in  the  faith  and  in  the  divine  life. 

The  belief  that  we  are  to  meet  o\ir  friends  and  hiow 
them  in  heaven  must  act  as  a  check  upon  all  sinful 
actings  with  them,  and  also  as  a  powerful  motive  to 
walk  with  them  here  in  the  love  and  holiness,  as  far  as 
possible,  that  distinguish  the  communion  of  saints; 
looking  forward  and  looking  upward  to  the  time  when 
we  will  meet  and  walk  with  each  other  through  the 
heavens,  and  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he 
goeth. 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US.  309 

Further :  I  have  set  before  you,  my  readers,  the 
interest  which  those  in  heaven  have  in  the  earth  and  in 
you,  as  a  motive  for  action  in  the  ways  of  God.  Have 
all  who  are  in' heaven,  including,  it  may  be,  your 
departed  father  and  mother,  and  son  and  daughter,  and 
brother  and  sister  x  and  other  once  dear,  dear  friends, 
this  deep  and  glowing  and  unquenchable  interest  in  you 
and  in  your  salvation  ?  Surely,  then,  it  is  not  too 
much  to  expect  that  you  should  awaken,  through  this 
realization,  to  give  heed  to  the  things  that  belong  to 
your  peace,  and  to  take  some  interest  in  your  own 
spiritual  emancipation. 

Finally :  I  am  in  the  hope,  that  the  views  I  have 
given  of  heaven  as  a  home  may  prove  a  source  of  com- 
fort to  your  souls  who  are  the  people  of  God. 

Are  ye  poor?  Like  Jesus  once,  have  you  not  a 
home  upon  earth?  Do  not  despond.  Look  up  in 
hope.  You  have  a  home  in  yonder  joyous  heaven. 
Soon  you  will  be  in  it ;  and  the  remembrance  there  of 
your  present  homeless  wanderings  and  privations  will 
make  its  rest  and  its  riches  appear,  if  possible,  more 
delightful  in  your  estimation. 

Are  ye  in  bereavement  ?  Have  you  lost  dear,  yes, 
dearly  and  fondly  beloved  friends,  who  have  fallen  i 
asleep  in  Jesus?  Have  you,  in  your  present  state  of 
separation,  the  good  hope,  through  grace,  that  they 
are  now  in  your  and  in  their  Father's  home  ?  Mourners 
in  Zion !  your  present  separation  from  these  once 
dear  friends  of  yours  is  not  for  ever.     Soon  you  will 


310 


HEAVEN'S  INTEREST  IN   US. 


meet  them  again  in  an  eternal  home  of  love,  and  recog- 
nize them,  and  speak  with  them  in  the  language  of 
heaven,  and  walk  with  them  in  white  through  its  courts 
of  glory.  Oh  !  it  will  be  to  you  the  very  bower  of  lov* 
to  be  with  them  again  in  the  same  home. 

Are  you  upon  your  bed  of  dissolution  ?  Are  you 
going  the  way  of  all  the  earth?  What  is  death  to 
you,  believers?  It  is  going  home.  God' 
of  glory  is  up  yonder  !  Its  door  of  love  is  open 
are  about  to  enter  it !  Yonder  you  will  see  your  risen 
Lord,  and  meet  your  friends  in  his  home  of  love,  and  be 
with  them  for  ever  ! 


s  home 
/     You 


Presswork  by  John  Wilson  and  Son. 


NOTICES 

OP 

"  ]$mbm  urn  $am"  aixir  "  |$U*t  fox  l^atei." 


"  This  is  a  reprint  of  a  work  by  an  anonymous  writer  which  has  achieved  a 
wide  popularity  in  England.  The  author  draws  a  bright  picture  of  heaven  as  the 
final  home  where  husbands  and  wives,  fathers  and  mothers,  sons  and  daughters, 
brothers  and  sisters,  shall  meet  after  their  life  upon  earth,  for  an  immortal  exist- 
ence ;  and  he  deals  with  his  subject  in  a  manner  to  attract  and  hold  the  attention 
of  a  numerous  class  of  readers." — Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  The  popularity  and  influence  of  this  volume  are  indicated  by  the  number 
of  editions  through  which  it  has  passed  in  England.  It  could  have  been  so  uni- 
versally esteemed  only  through  the  general  acceptance  of  its  spirit  and  doctrine. 
The  subject  is  one  especially  calculated  to  attract  all  religious  minds,  and  the  book 
will  be  found  to  meet  the  wants  of  those  who  seek  it  either  for  inspiration  or  con- 
solation."—  Boston  Transcript. 

"  This  little  volume,  so  tastefully  gotten  up,  deserves  all  the  success  which 
followed  its  appearance  in  England.  The  writer  wishes  to  prove  heaven  a  home 
for  the  exercise  of  those  social  affections  which  we  are  there  to  possess  forever, 
and  a  social  heaven,  therefore,  is  the  leading  idea  he  so  fervently  illustrates  in  his 
treatise.  It  is  a  work  full  of  devotioual  character,  written  in  pleasing  style,  from 
the  perusal  of  which  much  benefit  can  be  made  to  ensue.  We  heartily  commend 
it  to  our  readers."  —  Morris  §  Willis's  Home  Journal. 

"  A  work  by  an  anonymous  English  author  which  has  been  received  with 
remarkable  favor  across  the  water.  The  book  which  gives  evidence  of  earnest 
thought  and  study,  as  well  as  of  a  fervid  but  chastened  imagination,  differs  from 
most  works  of  its  class  in  attempting  to  determine  what  heaven  is,  rather  than 
what  it  is  not.  The  majority  of  writers  have  shrunk  from  describing  Heaven  as 
any  thing  else  than  the  reverse  of  earth.  The  author  may  have  occasionally  wan- 
dered too  far  toward  the  opposite  extreme,  but  he  has  suggested  much  that  is  inspir- 
ing to  the  devout  mind,  and  has  met  the  objections  which  are  urged  to  his  theories 
with  much  vigor.  The  typographical  execution  of  the  book  is  very  tasteful."  — 
Cincinnati  Daily  Gazette. 

"  We  have  read  this  work  with  more  than  ordinary  interest.  The  subject  of 
which  it  treats  is  one  of  great  importance  to  all.  But  especially  should  the  Chris- 
tian delight  to  contemplate  it.  The  three  general  topics  discussed  in  it,  are, 
Heaven  our  Home,  Recognition  of  Friends  in  Heaven,  The  interest  those  in 
Heaven  feel  in  earth.  The  author  does  not  deal  much  in  speculation  in  his  dis- 
cussion of  these  themes,  but  presents  the  reader  with  views  plainly  inculcated  in 
the  Scriptures  or  fairly  deducible  from  them.  We  regard  the  work  as  one  of  much 
merit,  and  one  which  will  profit  as  well  as  afford  comfort  to  its  reader."  —  Fresby- 
terian  Witness,  Cincinnati. 


"  This  wdrk  by  an  anonymous  author,  has  been  received  with  great  favor  in 
England.  Mpst  people  have  but  vague  and  indefinite  views  of  Heaven.  To  some 
it  is  b tffc.a  pfftfk  to  many  a  mere  sound ;  this  author  holds  that  it  is  a  home,  with 
a  great  anohllpy  and  loving  family  in  it.  To  him  it  is  not  merely  a  local,  but 
a  mater  ic(SiJmit&t\on  into  which  Enoch  and  Elijah  have  ascended,  carrying  their 
bodies  wi,th.  Mem.  These  views  are  eloquently  set  forth,  though  with  no  strong 
array  of  sctis^ural  support.  The  author  holds  to  the  comforting  belief  of  the  rec- 
.ognitiflp  oaltiends  in  Heaven,  and  the  whole  tone  of  the  work  is  calculated  to  cheer 
and  support  the  weary  sojourner  on  earth." —  Portland  Transcript. 

"  Meet  for  Heaven,"  by  the  Author  oe  "  Heaven  our  Home." 
"The  work,  'Heaven  our  Home,'  to  which  this  is  sequent  in  its  nature,  has 
become  widely  known  and  prized,  we  believe,  in  the  United  States  as  well  as  in 
England.  The  aim  of  that  work  was  to  portray  a  'social  Heaven,'  —  'the  home 
of  love,'  as  the  author  states  his  own  purpose,  '  which  God  has  prepared  for  his 
children,  and  in  which,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan's  dark  stream,  they  meet  to 
spend  a  happy  eternity  in  possession  of  the  fullest  recognition  and  loving  inter- 
course, and  feeling  still  in  their  hearts  the  most  lively  interest,  not  only  in  all  the 
saved  who  are  around  them  in  heaven,  but  in  the  whole  of  the  children  of  God, 
who  are  still  lingering  behind  them  in  the  homes  of  earth.'  " 

"  In  the  present  work  the  author  complements  that  view  of  Heaven,  in  its 
social  aspect,  with  reflections  upon  '  the  state  of  the  children  of  God  who  are 
already  glorified,  viewed  chiefly  in  their  individual  exaltation  and  personal 
glory  ; '  considering  further  '  what  it  is  —  a  state  of  grace  upon  earth  —  that  gives 
us  the  preparation  to  join  their  exalted  ranks.'  The  subject  is  one  which  invites 
the  Christian  reader,  and  it  is  dealt  with  in  a  manner  that  renders  the  work  sin- 
gularly charming.  The  writer  thinks  deeply,  and  yet  his  thoughts  have  the 
eloquence  of  simplicity,  and  are  warm  with  the  fervor  of  religious  feeling. "  — 
Buffalo  Morning  Express. 

By  permission,  the  publishers  are  enabled  to  make  the  following  extracts  from 
a  private  letter  of  a  clergyman  [Rev.  Samuel  L.  Tuttle,  Assistant  Secretary 
American  Bible  Society] :  — 

"  I  have  just  met  with  a  work  entitled  '  Meet  for  Heaven,'  and  I  regard  it 
one  of  the  best  books  that  has  appeared  in  these  latter  days.  ...  If  the  series 
is  equal  to  the  book  which  I  have  read,  the  author  may  well  conclude  that  he  has 
not  lived  in  vain.  I  wish  that  every  Christian  person,  and  especially  every 
afflicted  Christian  on  earth,  could  have  the  perusal  of  these  writings.  I  can 
never  be  sufficiently  thankful  to  him  who  wrote  them,  for  the  service  that  he  has 
rendered  to  me  and  to  all  others. 

"  You  can  scarcely  imagine  how  much  I  have  been  profited  by  the  perusal 
of  these  works  ('Heaven  our  Home '  and  '  Meet  for  Heaven ').  They  have  given 
form  and  substance  to  every  thing  revealed  in  the  Scriptures  respecting  our 
heavenly  home  of  love,  and  they  have  done  not  a  little  to  invest  it  with  the  most 
powerful  attractions  to  my  heart.  Since  I  have  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  following 
the  thought  of  their  author,  I  have  felt  that  there  was  a  reality  in  all  these  thiugs 
which  I  have  never  felt  before  :  and  I  find  myself  often  thanking  God  for  putting 
it  into  the  heart  of  a  poor  worm  of  the  dust  to  spread  such  glorious  representa- 
tions before  our  race,  all  of  whom  stand  in  need  of  such  a  rest.  I  most  heartily 
wish  that  every  bereaved  one  on  earth  could  enjoy  the  perusal  of  these  works. 
I  am  sure  that  it  would  lift  a  heavy  burden  from  their  hearts,  and  lead  them  to 
say  with  St.  Paul,  '  These  light  afflictions  which  are  but  for  a  moment,  shall  work 
out  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory.' " 


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